Emerald Coast Times

There were 8,292 white students enrolled in Walton County schools in the 2022-23 school year, a 3.4% increase from the 8,019 white students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Walton County welcomed a total of 11,575 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, white students comprised 71.6% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 21 schools in Walton County, South Walton High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 949 students, making up 76.8% 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 white Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
South Walton High School	76.8	1,235
Freeport Elementary School	68.8	1,123
Van R. Butler Elementary School	70.9	1,013
Dune Lakes Elementary School	72.2	928
Emerald Coast Middle School	71.7	868
Walton High School	66.4	856
Paxton School	88.4	819
Walton Middle School	65.7	801
Freeport Middle School	72.3	700
West Defuniak Elementary School	61	669
Freeport Senior High School	75.2	557
Maude Saunders Elementary School	59.3	553
Mossy Head School	71.3	439
Seaside Neighborhood School	85.1	403
Walton Initiative for Success in Education (Wise)	65.1	215
Walton Academy Inc.	58.6	181
Bay School	74	146