Emerald Coast Times

There were 3,499 Black students enrolled in Okaloosa County schools in the 2022-23 school year, a 1.8% decrease from the 3,563 Black students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Okaloosa County welcomed a total of 32,733 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 10.7% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 50 schools in Okaloosa County, Crestview High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 370 students, making up 16% of the school's total student body.

In 2022, Florida had more than 2.8 million students enrolled in its 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	% of Black Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Crestview High School	16	2,315
Niceville Senior High School	4.2	2,039
Choctawhatchee Senior High School	11.6	1,677
Fort Walton Beach High School	13.6	1,620
Davidson Middle School	9.5	1,149
C. W. Ruckel Middle School	2	1,136
Antioch Elementary School	12.7	1,016
Destin Elementary School	4.6	976
Liza Jackson Preparatory School	3.6	971
Riverside Elementary School	15.9	947
Shoal River Middle School	18.6	927
Walker Elementary School	13.8	864
Destin Middle School	3.2	846
Bob Sikes Elementary School	10.3	829
Northwood Elementary School	12.7	828
Max Bruner Junior Middle School	19.5	776
W. C. Pryor Middle School	14.8	709
Addie R. Lewis School	7.5	693
Wright Elementary School	12.8	635
Clifford Meigs Middle School	10.9	624
Shalimar Elementary School	9.9	614
Elliott Point Elementary School	16.8	597
Okaloosa Online Non Franchised	7.1	553
Longwood Elementary School	8.6	548
Kenwood Elementary School	7.2	545
Florosa Elementary School	6.5	536
Destin High School	2.6	470
Eglin Elementary School	16.7	460
Annette P. Edwins Elementary School	13.5	453
Mary Esther Elementary School	19.7	441
Southside Primary School	7.9	279
Okaloosa Academy	24.9	185