Florida receives poor grades for pre-K through 12 education

State gets top marks for higher education in magazine survey

MIAMI – Florida is ranked among the worst states for pre-K through 12 education, according to a new ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

Florida was ranked 40th while Massachusetts ranked first in the country. The magazine said it based its criteria on a number of factors, including high school graduation rates and how many children are able to get an early start on education with pre-K instruction.

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The magazine scored Florida poorly on high school graduation rates (No. 43.), National Assessment of Educational Progress math scores (No. 42) and pre-K quality (No. 41). However, the state posted strong scores for preschool enrollment (No. 16) and college readiness (No. 14).

Read the full pre-K - 12 Rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

Florida performed much better in the magazine's rankings for higher education. Florida was the top state in the country beating out states like Utah, Washington and California. The magazine gave Florida high marks for tuition and fees (No. 2), two- and four-year college graduation rates (No. 2 and No. 8) and low debt at graduation (No. 6). 

Gov. Rick Scott cheered the news about the state's higher education ranking Wednesday.

"Over the past seven years, we have made major investments in our higher education system and challenged colleges and universities to become more affordable while fully preparing students to be ready for a great job upon graduation," Scott said.

However with a rank of 30, Florida performed poorly in the magazine's Education Attainment category, which assessed the number of residents with advanced degrees. 

Read the full higher education rankings from U.S. News & World Report.