School District Superintendent David K. Moore has two more goals for improving local schools before he leaves his post next year.
Moore, 55, said he is focused on pushing each of the county’s 24 public school campuses to earn an “A” rating while also driving the district to become the top-ranked district in the state.
Those might sound like unrealistic goals coming from someone else, but considering what Moore and the district have accomplished since he arrived, it could happen.
“We have spent close to seven years proving that dramatic improvement is possible,” said Dr. Moore, whose leadership catapulted the school district from 38th best in the state, out of 67 districts, to No. 5.
If you have already moved up 33 slots, climbing four more steps to the top seems doable.
“This year, I want us to demonstrate just how far a mature, coherent, high-performing system can go,” Moore said. “Our work is not finished, and I intend to approach every remaining day with the same urgency, optimism, and unwavering belief in what our students can achieve.”
On Wednesday, Aug. 19, school district officials announced Moore’s plan to step down from the top district position. His last day will be June 30, 2027 – shortly after this school year wraps up.
School board members praised Moore’s exceptional leadership skills, which have taken the district from struggling to thriving, opening new doors for the 16,950 students who attend public schools in Indian River County.
Moore was chosen as the 2025 Florida Superintendent of the Year and was one of four finalists for 2025 National Superintendent of the Year.
Moore first gained prominence by transforming low-performing campuses to high-achieving schools in the 335,500-student Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He brought his expertise to Indian River County in 2019, when he was hired as superintendent – right before the onslaught of COVID-19.
Moore handled that crisis effectively, distributing thousands of laptops and pivoting to virtual instruction to continue educating children during the pandemic.
As the crisis waned, he refocused on his core mission of improving educational outcomes and reshaping the culture of the district.
Moore is credited with resolving the school district’s financial issues while administering a $400 million budget, reworking the African American Achievement Plan, reorganizing the district and updating its five-year strategic plan. Before Hurricane Milton spawned deadly tornadoes across the state in 2024, Moore turned five campuses into shelters for those seeking refuge.
Under Moore’s leadership, the percentage of district schools earning an “A” grade from the state increased from 47 to 96 percent. The district has been rated “A” for the past four school years, starting in 2022-2023.
“These accomplishments tell an extraordinary story of improvement, but they are not the story itself. They are the evidence of the story,” Moore said. “The story is what happens when beliefs become behaviors, behaviors become habits, and habits become coherent systems of work. It is about a culture where support and responsibility coexist, accountability means ownership, and people continuously learn and improve on behalf of students.”
Moore, who is aligned with The Learning Alliance’s mission to have 90 percent of Indian River County youth reading on grade level by the end of third grade, said in a video produced by the Alliance that he is focused on making sure students do not get left behind.
“We’re not going to lower our expectations,” he said.
The 2026-2027 school year will be Moore’s 32nd year working in education, according to school officials.
After Moore’s leaves his post, he plans to work with school systems to create exceptional educational outcomes, school district officials said
“If what we have learned can help another school system accelerate improvement for children, the impact becomes exponentially greater,” Dr. Moore said. “Exceptional outcomes should not have to be anomalies.”
As the school district prepares to uphold and maintain the standards established by Moore after he leaves, he credits school board members, teachers, principals and district officials for believing in the children of Indian River County.
“This is not an ending to the work,” Dr. Moore said. “It is an opportunity to demonstrate that the system we have built is bigger than any one person, position or tenure. The beliefs are embedded. The capacity has been developed. The way of work is established. Exceptional educators are ready to lead this organization forward.”
