Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at Daytona State College

Daytona State's teacher education program manages to do something unusual: it keeps debt exceptionally low while still placing graduates above the national median. At just $17,308 in student debt—less than half the national median of $26,000 and well below Florida's state average—this program ranks in the 95th percentile nationally for affordability. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.39 means graduates owe less than five months of their first-year salary, making those loan payments far more manageable than typical education programs.

However, the Florida context reveals an important limitation. While Daytona State graduates earn above the national average ($44,869 versus $41,809), they fall in the 40th percentile among Florida teacher education programs. The state's top performers—Miami Dade, Florida SouthWestern State, and several universities—place their graduates at $50,000 or higher. That's roughly $6,000 more per year, which compounds significantly over a teaching career. The slight earnings decline between years one and four ($44,869 to $43,108) likely reflects Florida's teacher salary structures rather than this program specifically.

For families prioritizing minimal debt and reasonable starting salaries, Daytona State delivers solid value. You'll graduate owing less and start earning more than most education majors nationwide. But if maximizing long-term earning potential matters more, and other Florida programs are geographically accessible, those higher-earning alternatives deserve consideration—even if they come with moderately higher debt loads that the salary premium would likely offset within a few years.