TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Education announced today that teacher vacancies for the 2025-2026 school year have decreased by 17.7% compared to the previous year, marking a nearly 30% reduction over the past two years.
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This decrease in vacancies is attributed to several initiatives aimed at attracting teaching talent to Florida. The state has invested over $5.9 billion in teacher pay increases and created new pathways for individuals to enter the teaching profession.
“Florida continues to attract the best teaching talent because we have raised teacher pay, empowered our teachers in the classroom, and created new pathways for Floridians to enter the teaching profession,” said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas.
“I am proud of the work Florida has done to dramatically reduce the number of vacancies across the state thanks to the policies Governor Ron DeSantis has championed.“
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The Teacher Apprenticeship Program is one of the initiatives contributing to the reduction in vacancies. More than 80 individuals are currently receiving on-the-job training from veteran teachers while pursuing their teaching certification, and nearly 500 have applied for the program.
Additionally, the Military Veterans Certification Pathway has enabled over 100 military veterans to begin their teaching careers through a temporary teaching certificate, with nearly 700 applicants for the program.
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