Florida’s K-12 Schools Rank Last in Reading Recovery, New National Report Finds

Florida’s schoolchildren have fallen further behind in reading than those in any other state measured in a major new national education report, raising fresh questions about the long-term impact of the pandemic on learning.

The latest Education Recovery Scorecard, produced by researchers from Harvard and Stanford universities, found Florida ranked last in the nation for reading growth between 2022 and 2025.

The findings are particularly striking given Florida’s reputation as a state that has championed school choice, education reform and strict accountability measures over the past two decades.

Researchers say the average Florida student is now performing nearly seven-tenths of a grade level below pre-pandemic reading achievement, placing the state at the bottom of the rankings among those with sufficient data available.

While Florida’s students showed some progress in mathematics, the state still ranked in the middle of the pack nationally and remains below pre-COVID performance levels.

Education experts warn that the results reflect a broader national “learning recession” that continues to affect millions of students years after classrooms reopened.

One factor identified in the report is chronic absenteeism. Although attendance has improved since the height of the pandemic, nearly three in ten Florida students were still classified as chronically absent in 2025 — significantly higher than before COVID-19 disrupted schools.

The report does not assess overall school quality and focuses instead on academic recovery and student achievement trends. Florida continues to perform strongly in some national education measures and has previously ranked highly in broader assessments of school systems.

Nevertheless, the latest findings are likely to intensify debate over how best to help students recover lost ground and whether current policies are delivering the academic gains state leaders have promised.

For parents, teachers and policymakers alike, the message from the data is clear: the educational aftershocks of the pandemic are far from over.