Emerald Coast Times

There were 11,575 students enrolled in Walton County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 4.6% more than the previous year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 71.6% of the student body, the biggest percentage in Walton County schools, followed by 17.3% of Hispanic students, 4.7% of Black students and 4.6% of multiracial students.

South Walton High School registered the highest enrollment among Walton County's 21 schools in the 2022-23 academic year, welcoming 1,235 students.

In 2022, Florida had more than 2.8 million students enrolled in a total of 4,202 schools. There were 163,558 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 17 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

Private school enrollment increased by more than 51,000 students in the 2021-22 school year, which was a notable rebound after the pandemic. In total, there were 416,084 students enrolled, marking the highest enrollment in private schools reported by the Florida Department of Education in 30 years.

According to WalletHub's analysis, Florida is ranked ninth out of 50 states in terms of its public school quality and safety.

School name	Total Enrollment in 2021-22	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	% Change
South Walton High School	1,182	1,235	4.5
Freeport Elementary School	968	1,123	16
Van R. Butler Elementary School	983	1,013	3.1
Dune Lakes Elementary School	916	928	1.3
Emerald Coast Middle School	840	868	3.3
Walton High School	794	856	7.8
Paxton School	807	819	1.5
Walton Middle School	805	801	-0.5
Freeport Middle School	647	700	8.2
West Defuniak Elementary School	695	669	-3.7
Freeport Senior High School	534	557	4.3
Maude Saunders Elementary School	503	553	9.9
Mossy Head School	401	439	9.5
Seaside Neighborhood School	385	403	4.7
Walton Initiative for Success in Education (Wise)	192	215	12
Walton Academy Inc.	190	181	-4.7
Bay School	129	146	13.2
Walton Virtual Franchise	47	31	-34
Walton Learning Center	23	29	26.1