Florida students still lagging years after pandemic

FLORIDA, (WINK) — Florida students still lagging behind pre-pandemic learning levels, but Southwest Florida districts show mixed recovery trends

A new national academic recovery report from researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth shows Florida students are still struggling to recover academically years after the pandemic, especially when it comes to reading.

The Education Scorecard report, released this week, examined testing data from millions of students nationwide and found Florida ranked 24th out of 38 states in math recovery and last in reading recovery among the states measured between 2022 and 2025. 

Researchers found that many Florida students remain below pre-pandemic academic benchmarks years after classrooms first shifted online during COVID-19.

After reviewing district-level data across Southwest Florida, WINK News found recovery trends varied significantly depending on the district.

Collier County Public Schools was the only district in the area performing above pre-pandemic national benchmarks overall, while districts like Lee and Charlotte remained below those benchmarks.  

The report estimated Lee County students were performing about 0.70 grade levels below pre-pandemic national averages, with scores continuing to trend downward since 2022. 

In Collier County, researchers estimated students were performing roughly 0.56 grade levels above the national benchmark overall. 

For many families and students, however, the impacts of the pandemic extended beyond testing data.

Kaylie Raudales, an eighth-grade student, told WINK News she struggled to focus while learning online during the pandemic after classes shifted to Zoom in third grade.

“I would zone out completely, and I wouldn't be listening,” Raudales said. “Every time the class ended, I wouldn't notice it did. I was just in another planet.”

Raudales said she still struggles with math years later and noticed major changes socially after returning to in-person learning.

“When the pandemic was over and I went back to school, I stopped socializing,” she said. “I stopped making a lot of friends.”

Another Southwest Florida resident, Katie Yoshioka, said technology and changing habits may also be contributing to reading struggles among students nationwide.

“I think some of those factors are definitely when it comes to technology nowadays,” Yoshioka said. “It's easier access to obviously scroll or view something.”

Collier County Public Schools leaders say consistent progress monitoring and attendance initiatives have helped students recover academically. Chief Communications Officer Chad Oliver said the district tracks student performance throughout the year instead of waiting for final state testing.

“You can't just wait till the end of the year to check up on them,” Oliver said. “It has to be intentional throughout the school year.”

Oliver said Collier County also focuses heavily on phonics instruction in younger grades and works aggressively to reduce chronic absenteeism.

“It's very difficult to learn when you're missing 10% of the school year,” Oliver said.

According to the district, school staff members regularly work with families to address attendance issues before students become chronically absent.

The Lee County School District also emphasized progress monitoring and attendance intervention efforts in a statement to WINK News.

District leaders said students are assessed three times each year in core subjects like reading and math and pointed to what they described as promising mid-year results.

The district also said chronic absenteeism decreased by 3.8% year over year, with 2,260 fewer chronically absent students and roughly 20,945 fewer absences district-wide this school year.

Lee County leaders also acknowledged technology remains an ongoing challenge moving forward.

“We believe in redefining the use of technology to be a supplement to instruction as opposed to the method of instruction,” the district said in its statement.

Researchers behind the report said academic recovery continues to vary widely between districts across the country, suggesting local interventions, attendance and classroom engagement may play a major role in how quickly students recover from pandemic learning disruptions.