MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida International University hosted Gov. Ron DeSantis and state leaders to discuss Florida’s education system and recent achievements on Thursday.
The governor was joined by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas at a news conference focused on the state’s commitment to delivering high-quality education from pre-K through higher education.
FIU president and former Lt. Gov. Jeanette M. Nuñez gave opening remarks highlighting the university’s accomplishments, noting Florida’s State University System has been ranked No. 1 for nine consecutive years. FIU was recently named the No. 46 public university in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.
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The governor outlined Florida’s school choice initiatives, which serve 1.4 million students through scholarships, charter schools, and homeschooling support. He stressed that parents—not government—should decide their children’s education paths.
“We have to make sure that we’re empowering parents to be able to make meaningful choices about their kids’ education,” said DeSantis. “Then we got to put our students first."
DeSantis also highlighted improvements in school grading, with 71% of Florida schools earning A or B grades last year, up from 64% previously. The state replaced a single end-of-year test with ongoing progress monitoring to better support students and teachers.
The governor also announced the arrival of Success Academy, the nation’s top-performing charter school network, to Florida. This addition aims to expand high-quality educational options for families.