Excitement is probably growing in your home if you have a child ready to enter Florida’s pre-K education program.
But how good of an education will your child get?
Personal finance company WalletHub determined to find out, ranking all 50 states and the District of Columbia on criteria ranging from quality to access for states with the best and worst early-education systems.
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Florida didn’t do well overall and would have been even lower except for its best score for the quality of its early-education program.
Here’s what you should know as you shop for needed school supplies during the back-to-school sales tax holiday.
Why did Florida rank low for its early-education system?
Florida came in 38th among the 50 states and District of Columbia in WalletHub’s ranking.
In the three criteria used by WalletHub — access, quality, and resources and economic support — it was quality that actually improved Florida’s overall score. In the other two categories, Florida came in the bottom 10.
Florida’s scores:
What states ranked highest for best early-education system?
Coming in No. 1 in the United States for the best early-education system was the District of Columbia, which also came in No. 1 for access and resources. It ranked No. 20 for quality. Here are the top 10 states according to WalletHub’s ranking:
Who is eligible for Florida’s VPK program?
Florida was one of the first states in the country in 2005 to offer free prekindergarten for all 4-year-olds regardless of family income, according to the Florida Department of Education.
“More than 3.1 million children have benefited from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program (VPK). Data collected by the Florida Department of Education shows children who participate in VPK are much more ready for kindergarten than children who do not participate in VPK,” the agency said.
“Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) is a free, high-quality education program designed to prepare Florida’s 4-year-olds for kindergarten.”
To be eligible for VPK, children must live in Florida and be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1 of the current school year.
What’s the difference between Florida VPK and Head Start?
The Head Start program “provides intensive comprehensive child development and family support services to enrolled children, pregnant women and families.”
The program serves families with children ages 3 to 5.
Eligible families include those experiencing homelessness, receiving public assistance (SNAP, TANF and SSI) and with incomes under the federal poverty guidelines. Children in foster care are also eligible.
Services include:
What states ranked lowest for their early-education systems?
The bottom states as ranked by WalletHub were:
Why did the District of Columbia rank so high for early education?
“The District of Columbia is the state with the best early education system, boasting the highest enrollment of three- and four-year-olds in pre-K, pre-K special education or Head Start programs,” according to WalletHub.
“In the District, 77% of 3-year-olds and 95% of 4-year-olds are enrolled. Very few states have anywhere close to those numbers.
“Enrollment is growing rapidly, too. D.C. saw a 56% increase in enrollment for 3-year-olds and a 50% increase for 4-year-olds between the 2001-2002 school year and 2024-2025 school year.
“D.C. also spends the most money per child enrolled in preschool, at over $27,000 per year, giving children more resources and a better start to their education.”
Methodology used by WalletHub for early-education system rankings
To determine the best and worst states for early education systems, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three areas and broken down as follows:
When will summer vacation be over in Florida?
The earliest start date for Florida schools is Aug. 10, according to Florida Statute 1001.42.
To get in the number of required days in the first semester and working around holidays, school districts plan to start the school year in early August.
In 2026, Aug. 10 falls on a Monday.
When will 2026-2027 school year start in Florida counties?
Thirty-eight of Florida’s 67 counties will start the 2026-2027 school year on the earliest possible date, Monday, Aug. 10. The latest start date in Florida — for three counties — is Thursday, Aug. 13.
See breakdown by county on when the 2026-2027 Florida school year will start:
Special note: Links to school calendars often change. Here’s a state list of homepages for each Florida school district.
When is Florida’s 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday?
Florida’s 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday for school supplies, including clothing and computers, runs from July 20 through Aug. 20.
What school supplies will be tax-exempt this 2026-2027 school year?
The following items will be tax exempt from July 20-Aug. 20:
Go to floridarevenue.com for a complete list of all items included in the sales tax holiday, along with exceptions.
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://news-press.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Why did Florida rank so low for its early-education program?
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
