Number of large Florida public high schools not teaching physics grows to 60 – nearly one-sixth of large schools.

The number of large (more than 1,000 students) Florida public high schools that were not teaching physics grew from 45 during the Fall of 2019 to 60 in the Fall of 2020. The sixty schools not teaching physics in Fall 2020 (which are listed below) is close to one-sixth of the state’s 369 public high schools having 1,000 or more students.

There were only 31 large public high schools not teaching physics in the Fall of 2017, so the number of schools without physics has nearly doubled in only three years.

The most disturbing trend evident in these data is the rising number of schools in large urban districts that do not teach physics. Miami-Dade now has eight such schools, Broward four, Duval and Palm Beach Counties three each, and Pinellas one. Hillsborough and Orange are the only remaining mega-districts that teach physics in every high school. Physics enrollment in Orange County’s public high schools actually grew by 19.8% this year – an anomaly as the state’s overall high school physics enrollment dropped by 4.2%.

The list was extracted from Fall 2020 course enrollment data recently released by the Florida Department of Education. Several of the schools in the list have a small number of students dual enrolled in physics classes at postsecondary institutions. Others do not have any students taking physics at all.

Physics is one of the high school courses recommended by the American Society for Engineering Education for students considering a college major in engineering. Physics is also required to earn college degrees in architecture, biology, computer science and meteorology, among other fields.

Bay County:

J.R. Arnold High School

Broward County:

Coconut Creek High School

Hallandale High School

Monarch High School

Somerset Academy Charter High

Citrus County:

Crystal River High School

Clay County:

Middleburg High School

Orange Park High School

Duval County:

Jean Ribault High School

Terry Parker High School

Westside High School

Escambia County:

Pine Forest High School

Flagler County:

Matanzas High School

Gadsden County:

Gadsden County High School

Hardee County:

Hardee Senior High School

Hernando County:

Central High School

Frank W. Springstead High School

Hernando High School

Nature Coast Technical High

Lake County:

Lake Minneola High School

Mt. Dora High School

Tavares High School

Lee County:

Bonita Springs High School

Lee County Virtual Franchise

Lehigh Senior High School

Mariner High School

Manatee County:

Bayshore High School

Palmetto High School

Parrish Community High School

Southeast High School

Marion County:

Belleview High School

Lake Weir High School

North Marion High School

Miami-Dade County:

Felix Varela High School

G. Holmes Braddock Senior High

Hialeah Gardens Senior High School

Hialeah-Miami Lakes Sr. High

Homestead Senior High School

Miami Jackson Senior High School

Miami Norland Senior High School

South Miami Senior High School

Palm Beach County:

Boynton Beach Community High

Palm Beach Lakes High School

South Tech Academy

Pasco County:

Anclote High School

Fivay High School

Hudson High School

Pasco High School

River Ridge High School

Pinellas County:

Clearwater High School

Polk County:

Auburndale Senior High School

Lake Gibson Senior High School

Lake Region High School

Tenoroc High School

Putnam County:

Palatka High School

Sarasota County:

Booker High School

St. Lucie County:

Port St. Lucie High School

Treasure Coast High School

Sumter County:

South Sumter High School

Wakulla County:

Wakulla High School