TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — While the United States is one of the most educated countries in the world, it may not surprise you that some students receive a better education than others.
According to a study conducted by personal finance website WalletHub, Florida has the fifth most equitable school districts in the nation overall, yet some districts within the state are fairer than others.
To find which schools distributed funding most equitably, WalletHub scored 67 districts in the Sunshine State based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
Here’s where each school district ranked:
| Rank* | School District | Score | Expeditures for Public Elementary & Secondary Schools per Pupil | Income by School District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | Monroe | 71.90 | $13,706 | $72,012 |
| 66 | Collier | 48.71 | $11,711 | $70,217 |
| 65 | St. Johns | 45.24 | $8,780 | $83,803 |
| 64 | Hendry | 40.74 | $9,016 | $36,978 |
| 63 | Sarasota | 38.86 | $11,778 | $64,644 |
| 62 | Gulf | 38.25 | $14,377 | $50,640 |
| 61 | Madison | 37.19 | $9,704 | $35,240 |
| 60 | Palm Beach | 32.19 | $11,035 | $65,015 |
| 59 | Desoto | 30.61 | $10,154 | $36,360 |
| 58 | Martin | 30.13 | $10,674 | $65,821 |
| 57 | Hardee | 30.08 | $9,484 | $40,165 |
| 56 | Levy | 29.36 | $9,788 | $38,951 |
| 55 | Nassau | 28.96 | $9,193 | $72,998 |
| 54 | Walton | 28.10 | $10,172 | $67,390 |
| 53 | Washington | 27.94 | $10,252 | $37,260 |
| 52 | Taylor | 27.25 | $10,125 | $38,295 |
| 51 | Holmes | 25.98 | $10,078 | $39,215 |
| 50 | Columbia | 24.09 | $9,204 | $44,818 |
| 49 | Putnam | 23.46 | $10,170 | $40,068 |
| 48 | Okeechobee | 22.63 | $9,108 | $46,097 |
| 47 | Santa Rosa | 22.16 | $8,952 | $70,663 |
| 46 | Jackson | 21.83 | $10,204 | $40,754 |
| 45 | Franklin | 21.77 | $13,064 | $48,814 |
| 44 | Highlands | 20.99 | $9,727 | $43,708 |
| 43 | Suwannee | 20.31 | $9,307 | $46,280 |
| 42 | Orange | 19.95 | $10,486 | $61,416 |
| 41 | Calhoun | 19.72 | $10,932 | $38,037 |
| 40 | Citrus | 18.64 | $9,587 | $45,689 |
| 39 | Seminole | 18.59 | $8,661 | $70,297 |
| 38 | Dixie | 18.06 | $10,409 | $41,674 |
| 37 | Hamilton | 17.18 | $11,138 | $38,300 |
| 36 | Clay | 16.92 | $8,805 | $68,657 |
| 35 | Marion | 16.71 | $9,611 | $46,587 |
| 34 | Wakulla | 16.40 | $8,976 | $67,480 |
| 33 | Manatee | 16.10 | $10,374 | $59,963 |
| 32 | Hernando | 15.79 | $9,002 | $50,280 |
| 31 | Glades | 15.49 | $11,041 | $39,709 |
| 30 | Broward | 13.88 | $9,968 | $60,922 |
| 29 | Sumter | 13.87 | $10,215 | $59,618 |
| 28 | Okaloosa | 12.56 | $9,180 | $64,373 |
| 27 | Volusia | 12.06 | $8,973 | $52,407 |
| 26 | Bradford | 11.53 | $10,704 | $43,580 |
| 25 | Pasco | 10.90 | $8,896 | $53,431 |
| 24 | Bay | 10.05 | $10,426 | $56,483 |
| 23 | Gilchrist | 8.59 | $10,278 | $47,381 |
| 22 | Indian River | 8.09 | $9,951 | $57,945 |
| 21 | Hillsborough | 7.94 | $9,438 | $60,566 |
| 20 | Baker | 7.45 | $9,059 | $62,299 |
| 19 | Escambia | 7.40 | $9,326 | $53,023 |
| 18 | Pinellas | 7.33 | $10,164 | $56,419 |
| 17 | Osceola | 7.16 | $8,872 | $55,538 |
| 16 | Lee | 7.02 | $9,527 | $59,608 |
| 15 | Union | 6.87 | $8,977 | $55,139 |
| 14 | Miami-Dade | 6.29 | $10,524 | $53,975 |
| 13 | Jefferson | 5.97 | $10,219 | $49,081 |
| 12 | Alachua | 5.31 | $10,094 | $50,089 |
| 11 | Charlotte | 4.87 | $10,619 | $52,724 |
| 10 | Gadsden | 4.49 | $11,878 | $41,135 |
| 9 | Lake | 3.52 | $9,190 | $55,792 |
| 8 | St. Lucie | 3.49 | $10,002 | $55,237 |
| 7 | Leon | 3.25 | $9,430 | $54,675 |
| 6 | Flagler | 3.16 | $8,895 | $57,536 |
| 5 | Lafayette | 2.98 | $10,016 | $51,734 |
| 4 | Brevard | 2.67 | $9,136 | $59,359 |
| 3 | Liberty | 2.29 | $12,482 | $39,121 |
| 2 | Duval | 1.01 | $9,258 | $56,769 |
| 1 | Polk | 0.80 | $10,435 | $51,535 |
“For expenditures, for each 1 percent above the state’s average we removed 1 point from a base score of 50 points for each district,” WalletHub said. “For household income, for each 1 percent above the state’s average we added 1 point to a base score of 50 points for each district. The inverse was true for each 1 percent below the state’s average.”
School districts were ranked based on their total score, with the lowest value representing the most equitable, being ranked 1.
