A new report shows Florida fell to 35th in the nation for child well-being.
The evaluation comes from Kids Count, a project that provides data to child well-being advocates. It considers four key factors: economic well-being, family and community, education and health.
Florida was ranked 30th in overall child well-being last year.
In the 2025 rankings, Florida dropped in three of the four categories, contributing to the overall drop.
Norín Dollard, director of Kids Count and a senior analyst for the Florida Policy Institute, said the rankings are relative, but they do reveal areas that can be improved.
Of the four categories considered in the Data Book, Florida ranked highest in education at 19th — but that is a sharp decline from its fifth-place rating in 2024.
The education category looks at school performance and access to early childhood learning opportunities.
This is a measure of well-being because school performance can be negatively impacted by a child feeling unsafe, hungry or worried about their family, according to the report.
Dollard said the decline in its education ranking dragged down Florida’s overall ranking.
“We have work to do in terms of education,” she said.
The report shows preschool enrollment, one of those indicators, has yet to return to its pre-pandemic levels — not just Florida but also nationwide.
Dollard said this is caused by preschool programs closing because of the COVID-19 pandemic amid a struggle to find qualified educators.
Reading and math benchmark scores have also fallen, which Dollard pins on state investment rather than students’ intelligence.
“It’s something that we have really struggled with as a state for a long time,” she said.
In terms of health measures like obesity and child deaths, Florida ranked 32nd, down one spot since last year.
Child health rankings are affected by maternal health, according to the report, which also considers if children have access to mental and behavioral health care and affordable, high-quality insurance.
She said the number of insured children had been rising steadily in the past. That was not the case this year.
“In the last couple years, we have really stalled out,” she said.
Florida’s family and community ranking was the only category that did not fall. It stayed at 30th, in part because of fewer single-parent families and fewer children living in high poverty areas.
The report said well-being improves when children have supportive relationships and stable environments.
Teen pregnancy rates are down as well, and more parents, or heads of households, have high school diplomas.
Florida’s economic well-being ranking dropped one spot to 43rd.
Dollard said the cost of living is “too high,” making it hard for families to afford child care and other needs.
“I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone that there are people really struggling to make ends meet,” she said.
However, Dollard said, fewer children are living in poverty and more parents have secure employment, which kept the economic well-being indicator from falling more.
The report said a family’s financial stability is the foundation for healthy children and their development, including access to essentials, such as food and health care.
Dollard said she hopes people use the data to advocate for changes they want to see. She wants people to take the data to policymakers and ask for programs and initiatives that would benefit children in their areas.
“It’s not too late to make calls and write letters,” Dollard said.
Florida’s legislative session has been extended through at least June 18 as the state finalizes its budget.
