VERO BEACH, FL (August 20, 2026) - After nearly seven years of service marked by transformational improvement, shared purpose, and an unwavering belief in what students can achieve, Superintendent Dr. David K. Moore has announced that he will conclude his tenure with the School District of Indian River County effective June 30, 2027. His tenure currently ranks as the second longest among Florida’s appointed district school superintendents, reflecting a period of sustained leadership and extraordinary progress for SDIRC.

Dr. Moore shared his decision first with members of the School Board and his Cabinet Leadership Team, followed by district and school leaders and the broader SDIRC team. He described the decision as one made with profound gratitude, pride in what the community has accomplished together, and confidence in the strength of the people and systems that will carry the work forward

“I am proud of what we have accomplished, but even more so of what we have built together,” Dr. Moore said. “Serving as Superintendent of Schools has been one of the greatest privileges of my professional life. Nearly seven years later, my belief in the power of public education to transform lives is stronger than ever.”

When Dr. Moore began serving as Superintendent, the District set out to fundamentally change what was possible for the children of Indian River County. The work moved beyond isolated initiatives and short-term improvements toward a coherent system capable of producing exceptional outcomes for all students and sustaining those outcomes over time.

Today, the District’s ways of work are collectively understood, owned, and advanced throughout the organization. Leadership exists at every level. Decisions are increasingly informed by timely data. Professional learning is embedded directly into the work. Feedback cycles have accelerated, and employees across the system take ownership not only for identifying challenges, but for solving them.

That shared capacity, Dr. Moore said, is the greatest source of confidence behind his decision.

“When I consider what distinguishes SDIRC today, I do not first think about a particular program, strategy, or individual accomplishment,” Dr. Moore said. “I think about our people, our beliefs, and the daily actions aligned to those beliefs. The expertise is here. The leadership is here. The systems are here. Most importantly, the belief and ownership are here.”

A Journey of Transformational Improvement

Since 2018–2019, the School District of Indian River County has experienced one of Florida’s most significant trajectories of improvement. The District advanced from 38th to fifth among Florida’s 67 school districts based on District Grade, earned four consecutive A district grades, and increased from 47 percent of schools earning an A or B to 100 percent, with 96 percent now earning an A.

The District’s progress spans the full educational journey:

• Advanced from 38th to third in Florida in Grade 3 English Language Arts Achievement, with four elementary schools reaching the 90 percent Grade 3 literacy goal.

• Elevated Indian River County’s literacy work into a state and nationally recognized model, welcoming educators, researchers, and community members from 31 states to learn from the District’s approach.

• Improved from 31st to ninth in Grades 3–10 English Language Arts Achievement, from 36th to 12th in Grades 3–8 Mathematics Achievement, from 35th to fifth in Grades 5 and 8 Science Achievement, and from 38th to sixth in Social Studies Achievement.

• Advanced from 56th to fourth in Middle School Acceleration and from 21st to sixth in High School College and Career Acceleration.

• Realized a 96 percent high school graduation rate and expanded high-quality school choice opportunities for every student and family.

• Earned Cognia Systems Accreditation and received the 2023 Cognia Values-Driven Award of Excellence for the District’s systems work.

• Was named the No. 1 Best Place to Teach in Florida by Niche for 2026 and increased teacher salaries from below the Florida average to among the highest in the state.

• Expanded innovative educational models and learning pathways, including four K–8 schools, a classical education school, and a Creative Learning Lab.

• Established the District’s first direct support organization, the Indian River Education Fund.

• Achieved more than $11.1 million in cumulative cost savings through annual District restructuring, while improving financial stability ratings from negative to stable to positive.

• Secured overwhelming voter support for the District’s essential operating millage and worked with state and local community partners to build the Jimmy Graves Sports & Community Complex.

The District’s leadership and systems work have also earned significant recognition, including the 2022 NSPRA Superintendent to Watch, the 2024 Consortium of Florida Education Foundations STAR Superintendent, and the 2025 Florida Superintendent of the Year and national finalist honors.

“These accomplishments tell an extraordinary story of improvement, but they are not the story itself. They are the evidence of the story,” Dr. 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.”

A Model Extending Beyond Indian River County

What began as a local effort to dramatically improve outcomes has increasingly become a model that educators and leaders from across Florida and the nation are examining and using to accelerate progress in their own systems. SDIRC’s approaches to systems leadership, literacy, leadership development, data intelligence, instructional improvement, innovation, and community partnership are creating opportunities for others to learn from the work taking place in Indian River County.

Following his departure, Dr. Moore intends to continue pursuing educational impact by exploring opportunities to help leaders and school systems create the conditions for exceptional outcomes to become predictable, repeatable, and sustainable.

“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.”

One Final Year, Two Extraordinary Goals

As the District enters Dr. Moore’s final school year as Superintendent, two outcomes will remain at the center of the work:

Every SDIRC school earning an A. The District has moved from fewer than half of its schools earning an A or B to 100 percent, with 96 percent now earning an A. The next milestone is ensuring every community has an exceptional school and every student has access to excellence, regardless of the school they attend.

Becoming the No. 1 school district in Florida. The District’s rise from 38th to fifth demonstrated what is possible. The goal now is to close the remaining distance, not for a ranking alone, but to continue challenging the organization against the highest standard available.

“We have spent close to seven years proving that dramatic improvement is possible,” Dr. Moore said. “This year, I want us to demonstrate just how far a mature, coherent, high-performing system can go. 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”

A Legacy Carried Forward by People

Dr. Moore expressed deep gratitude to School Board members, past and present, for their support and steadfast focus on students. He also thanked the teachers, school leaders, support professionals, District leadership team, families, community organizations, philanthropic partners, and countless individuals who invested their expertise, energy, and belief in the children of Indian River County.

For Dr. Moore, the most meaningful measure of the past seven years is not how indispensable any one leader became, but whether the District developed people with the capacity, belief, ownership, and courage to lead the work into its next chapter.

“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.”

Over the remainder of his tenure, Dr. Moore will continue working alongside the School Board, employees, families, and community to pursue the District’s goals, sustain momentum, and position SDIRC for continued excellence.

Beyond any ranking or recognition, his greatest hope is that the work endures because the people of the District believe deeply in it, own it, and continue making it better.

The rankings will continue to affirm the work.

The people will carry it forward.

The children will always give it purpose.

Together, we are Connected by Community.

Together, we are MySDIRC.

For updates and announcements, visit https://www.indianriverschools.org/ or follow us on Facebook at School District of Indian River County and Dr. David K. Moore, and on Instagram @MySDIRC.

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