Community College vs Private CNA Schools: Pass Rates
Florida publishes every approved program's exam results. Grouped by type, the averages sit within a few points of each other. Inside each type, results run from strong to weak, so compare the program, not the label.
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The short answer
- The type averages are close. In 2025, high school programs had the highest combined first-time pass rate (90.8%) and nursing or care facility programs the lowest (86.1%), among types with at least 100 testers. The statewide rate was 89.1%.
- Programs within a type differ far more. Among career or technical school programs with 10 or more testers, rates ran from 33.3% to 100.0%.
- So check the program itself: its own pass rate, how many people tested, its record over several years and whether it's on probation. Every Florida program's pass rate.
Pass rates by type, 2025
First-time test takers only, all programs of each type combined (total passes divided by total testers).
| Program type | Programs | First-time testers | Passed | On probation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career or technical school | 55 | 2,502 | 87.1% | 9 |
| High school | 76 | 1,758 | 90.8% | 9 |
| College or university | 54 | 1,146 | 90.3% | 8 |
| Nursing or care facility | 8 | 101 | 86.1% | 0 |
| All Florida programs | 196 | 5,596 | 89.1% | 26 |
Left out because fewer than 100 people tested in 2025, too few for a fair comparison: hospital or health system (2 programs, 53 testers), other (1 program, 36 testers).
Source: Florida Board of Nursing, FLCNA First Time Combined Pass Rate by Program, 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2025, and the approved programs list (probation status). Grouping by All CNA Classes. Checked November 2, 2026.
The program matters more than the type
Each bar runs from the lowest to the highest 2025 pass rate among programs of that type with at least 10 first-time testers. The dot is the middle program (the median).
Every type includes programs at or near 100% and programs well below the statewide rate. A good career school can beat a weak college program, and the other way round.
Source: Florida Board of Nursing, FLCNA First Time Combined Pass Rate by Program, 2025. Numbers in brackets are how many programs had 10 or more testers.
Year by year
Combined first-time pass rate for each type, with the number of testers in brackets.
| Year | Career or technical school | High school | College or university | Nursing or care facility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 77.9% (349) | 85.4% (1,339) | 81.0% (641) | 63.3% (30) |
| 2020 | 84.9% (471) | 91.7% (1,454) | 89.2% (844) | 83.3% (24) |
| 2021 | 88.5% (859) | 92.4% (1,484) | 87.1% (1,128) | 94.7% (19) |
| 2022 | 84.1% (515) | 83.7% (1,405) | 81.3% (734) | 91.9% (37) |
| 2023 | 85.4% (658) | 87.3% (1,487) | 84.8% (846) | 81.6% (49) |
| 2024 | 84.9% (973) | 93.0% (1,489) | 88.2% (922) | 100.0% (34) |
| 2025 | 87.1% (2,502) | 90.8% (1,758) | 90.3% (1,146) | 86.1% (101) |
Source: Florida Board of Nursing yearly pass-rate reports, 2019 to 2025. A program counts toward a year only if the report lists it.
How we grouped programs
Florida's approved list gives each program's name, address and status, but no type. We grouped them by the wording of their names on the official list: names with “high school” or a school district go to high school, “college” or “university” to college, “hospital” or “medical center” to hospital, nursing and rehab centers to care facility, and “institute”, “academy”, “career” or “technical” to career or technical school.
Names don't always tell the whole story. A technical college may be public or private, for example. Use the groups to see the pattern, then look at each program's own results. How we collect our data.
How to compare programs
- Look at the program's own pass rate and how many people tested. A rate from 5 testers can swing a lot from year to year.
- Check several years. One strong or weak year says less than a steady record.
- Check probation. The Florida Board of Nursing marks programs on probation on its approved list, and so do our city pages.
- Ask the program about total cost, schedule, clinical sites and what happens if you fail a part of the exam.
Florida CNA programs by city · All Florida pass rates, 2019–2025
What about Texas?
Texas publishes its list of approved programs but not program-by-program exam results, so we can't compare Texas program types the same way. The questions above still apply. Ask any Texas program for its first-time pass rate and how many students tested. Texas CNA programs by city.
Common questions
Are community college CNA programs better than private schools?
Not as a rule. In Florida in 2025, college and university programs passed 90.3% of first-time testers combined, and career or technical schools 87.1%. Both groups include programs near 100% and programs well below the statewide rate.
What is a good CNA pass rate?
Compare it with the statewide first-time rate, which was 89.1% in Florida in 2025, and look at how many people tested. A high rate from a handful of testers is less reliable than a steady rate from dozens. Every Florida program's pass rate.
Which type of program has the most students?
In 2025, career or technical school programs had the most first-time testers in Florida: 2,502 of 5,596.
Does program type change how hard the exam is?
No. Everyone takes the same state exam, a written or oral test and a skills test. The type only describes who runs the program. The CNA exam in Texas and Florida.
Find approved CNA classes near you
Search 1,030 state-approved programs by city or ZIP code, or use your location.
Sources
- Florida Board of Nursing: FLCNA First Time Combined Pass Rate by Program, 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2025
- Florida Board of Nursing: education and training programs (yearly reports)
- Florida Board of Nursing: Approved CNA training programs list
This guide explains official rules in plain language. It isn't legal advice. Your state's regulator has the final word.