Florida CNA pass rates 2025: which programs rose and fell since 2024
Florida's statewide first-time pass rate edged up from 88.58% to 89.08%, but more programs fell than rose. Of the 99 state-approved programs with 10 or more first-time testers in both years, 47 fell, 36 rose and 16 held steady (15 of them at 100% both years).
Chart: change in first-time pass rate, 2024 to 2025, one bar per program. Source: Florida Board of Nursing.
Programs compared
9910+ testers in both years
Fell
47lower rate in 2025
Rose
36higher rate in 2025
Median program
92.11%93.33% in 2024
Statewide
89.08%88.58% in 2024
What changed between 2024 and 2025?
The statewide rate rose +0.5 points, yet the typical program slipped: the median of the 99 programs went from 93.33% to 92.11%. 23 programs passed every first-time tester in 2025, against 32 in 2024. The number scoring under 80% went from 6 to 9.
The same programs also tested more people: 4,035 first-time testers in 2025, up from 2,997 in 2024. Swings were large: 21 of the 99 programs moved by 10 points or more in one direction or the other.
Which programs improved the most?
The five largest gains among programs with 10 or more first-time testers in both years:
The five largest drops. In a program this size, a handful of testers can move the rate by double digits, so read one year's fall as a reason to ask the program about its recent results, not as a verdict.
54 of the 99 programs have "High School" in their Board-listed name. Their median 2025 pass rate was 93.33%, against 90.48% for the other 45. 18 of the high school programs improved on 2024, as did 18 of the others. The grouping uses the program name only, so a high school program listed under a district or college name counts as "other".
How this comparison was made
Pass rates are the share of first-time test-takers who passed the first-time CNA exam (skills and written combined), from the Florida Board of Nursing, CNA first-time pass rate by program, 1/1/2025-12/31/2025, and the 2024 report in the same series. Programs are matched across years by their Board program code, and only programs with 10 or more first-time testers in both years are compared, the same rule as our ranking of 130 Florida CNA programs. Change is the 2025 rate minus the 2024 rate in percentage points. The approved-program list is the Board's August 2026 edition. Full method: data and methodology.
Choosing a Florida CNA program
A pass rate is one signal. Compare it with cost, schedule and distance on the Florida CNA classes page, and read the training and exam rules in how to become a CNA in Florida. Every program's own page shows both years and how it compares with nearby programs.
FAQ
Did Florida CNA pass rates go up or down in 2025?
Statewide, slightly up: 88.58% of first-time testers passed in 2024 and 89.08% in 2025. Program by program it went the other way: of 99 programs with 10 or more first-time testers in both years, 47 fell, 36 rose and 16 were unchanged, and the median program moved from 93.33% to 92.11%.
Which Florida CNA programs improved the most?
The largest gains were Medical Institute Of Palm Beach, Inc. in Greenacres (61.54% to 90.48%), Manatee Technical College in Bradenton (77.78% to 96.43%), Eastern Florida State College - Bayside High School in Palm Bay (84.62% to 100%).
How much does one tester change a program's pass rate?
In a program with 10 testers, one person passing or failing moves the rate by about 10.0 points. That is why programs with fewer than 10 testers in either year are left out, and why a single year's swing in a small program is weaker evidence than a steady rate over several years.
Where does this data come from?
Florida Board of Nursing, CNA first-time pass rate by program, 1/1/2025-12/31/2025, and the 2024 report from the same series. Statewide rates are the Board's own figures. Programs are matched across the two years by their Board program code.
