Emerald Coast Times

The majority of students in Okaloosa County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Of the 32,733 students attending Okaloosa County schools, 63.8% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 13.7% of Okaloosa County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Okaloosa County, representing 64.5% of the student body.

Okaloosa Technical College had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, including 47.4% white students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 1.2% when compared to the previous year.

Florida's choice to stick with in-person classes during the pandemic may have shielded students from significant learning setbacks. A recent Harvard study highlighted that districts heavily reliant on remote learning saw the most significant declines in student achievement amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Interestingly, gaps in math achievement by race and school poverty did not widen in school districts in states such as Texas and Florida and elsewhere that remained largely in-person, said Thomas Kane, professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

School Name	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Addie R. Lewis School	White	65.1%	693
Adjudicated Youth Facility	Black	< 10%	< 10
Annette P. Edwins Elementary School	White	47.9%	453
Antioch Elementary School	White	61.4%	1,016
Baker School	White	90.6%	1,484
Bluewater Elementary School	White	80.5%	930
Bob Sikes Elementary School	White	69.1%	829
C. W. Ruckel Middle School	White	78.7%	1,136
Choctawhatchee Senior High School	White	57.5%	1,677
Clifford Meigs Middle School	White	62.5%	624
Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College	White	66.5%	334
Crestview High School	White	61.4%	2,315
Crestview Youth Academy	Black	66.7%	30
Crestview Youth Academy (Non Secure)	Black	55%	20
Davidson Middle School	White	72.2%	1,149
Destin Elementary School	White	67.4%	976
Destin High School	White	79.4%	470
Destin Middle School	White	75.9%	846
Eglin Elementary School	White	44.1%	460
Elliott Point Elementary School	White	48.4%	597
Emerald Coast Career Institute N	White	56.8%	37
Florosa Elementary School	White	49.8%	536
Fort Walton Beach High School	White	57.5%	1,620
James E. Plew Elementary School	White	79.5%	829
Kenwood Elementary School	White	59.5%	545
Laurel Hill School	White	81.9%	452
Liza Jackson Preparatory School	White	69.2%	971
Longwood Elementary School	Hispanic	47.3%	548
Lula J. Edge Elementary School	White	75.6%	536
Mary Esther Elementary School	White	42.9%	441
Max Bruner Junior Middle School	White	44.9%	776
Niceville Senior High School	White	76.4%	2,039
Northwest Florida Ballet Academie	White	73.1%	141
Northwood Elementary School	White	65.1%	828
Okaloosa Academy	White	36.8%	185
Okaloosa Online Non Franchised	White	66.2%	553
Okaloosa Regional Detention	Black	< 10%	11
Okaloosa Stemm Center	White	68.5%	365
Okaloosa Technical College	White	47.4%	38
Okaloosa Virtual Instruction Program	Black	< 10%	13
Okaloosa Youth Academy	Black	49.1%	57
Richbourg School	White	74.7%	79
Riverside Elementary School	White	54.1%	947
Shalimar Elementary School	White	57.3%	614
Shoal River Middle School	White	54.2%	927
Silver Sands-Excep. Children	White	55.3%	114
Southside Primary School	White	67%	279
W. C. Pryor Middle School	White	39.5%	709
Walker Elementary School	White	64.8%	864
Wright Elementary School	Hispanic	41.6%	635