| Recent education reforms in the state of Florida | | | | addition, Orange County Schools contributes an |
| have shown to be of benefit to the students in | | | | average of $11,958 per teacher per year for benefits |
| Orange County Schools. The reforms have hit their | | | | such as life insurance, health insurance, FICA, and |
| intended target - low-income minority kids. | | | | retirement. |
| More students than ever are reading at grade level in | | | | The United States Department of Education (DOE) |
| Orange County Schools. More low-income Orange | | | | announced on May 31, 2007, that Orange County |
| County Schools students are also enrolling in | | | | Schools earned a $27.3 million dollar grant to retain |
| Advanced Placement classes and taking the SATs. | | | | and hire teachers and administrators at 10 middle |
| Once failing inner-city schools are getting As. A | | | | (Jones, Evans, and Oak Ridge) and high schools |
| recent report on the nation's largest urban school | | | | (Carver Memorial, Meadowbrook, Walker, Westridge, |
| districts gave Orange County Schools high marks for | | | | Robinswood, and Howard). This teacher incentive |
| boosting the performance of kids from all racial and | | | | fund means that teachers at those Orange County |
| economic backgrounds. | | | | Schools can earn up to $4,000 more per year. The |
| Orange County Schools is the second largest | | | | bonus is based on increased student achievement |
| employer in Central Florida. It employs 836 | | | | levels. In Florida, Orange County Schools earned the |
| administrators, 342 at the district level, 454 at the | | | | largest amount of money from the US DOE for |
| school level and 40 at the technical level. The system | | | | teacher incentive purposes. |
| employs 13,107 instructional faculty, 8,546 classified | | | | Students in Orange County Schools come from 179 |
| employees, and 3,380 part-time positions, with a | | | | different countries and speak 137 different languages |
| grand total of 25,869. The instructional and classified | | | | and dialects. The system currently serves more than |
| personnel make up nearly 97% of Orange County | | | | 177,000 students, in 170 schools. 117 of those schools |
| Schools workforce. A large percentage of its | | | | are elementary schools, with 82,115 students. There |
| teachers - 37% to be exact - have advanced | | | | are 32 middle schools with 38,885 students, 17 high |
| degrees. 34% of those hold Master's Degrees and | | | | schools with 50,169 students, 4 exceptional education |
| the rest hold Specialist's or Doctorate degrees. | | | | schools with 450 students, and students who attend |
| Orange County Schools had 68 teachers who earned | | | | alternative/charter schools number 5,689. |
| certification last year from the National Board for | | | | Orange County Schools boasts a graduation rate of |
| Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the | | | | 72.2%, which is above the state average. The |
| teaching profession's highest credential. Orange | | | | dropout rate is 1.9%, well below the state average |
| County Schools have a total of 537 nationally | | | | of 3.5%. |
| certified teachers, one of the highest numbers in the | | | | Over the last three years, Orange County Schools |
| state. The beginning salary for a teacher with a | | | | have had record numbers of high school students |
| bachelor's degree is $35,895. If that teacher holds a | | | | scoring at college level on Advanced Placement (AP) |
| master's degree, it is $38,399, for a specialist's | | | | exams. AP enrollment has increased for all student |
| degree, $39,734, and for a doctorate, $40,958. The | | | | groups, but especially among African Americans and |
| average pay for teachers is $40,415 per year. In | | | | Hispanics. |