Emerald Coast Times

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

Of the 11,575 students attending Walton County schools, 71.6% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 17.3% of Walton County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Walton County, representing 69.3% of the student body.

Maude Saunders Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, including 59.3% white students, 15.7% Hispanic students, 12.5% Black students, and 11.2% multiracial students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 4.6% 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
Bay School	White	74%	146
Dune Lakes Elementary School	White	72.2%	928
Emerald Coast Middle School	White	71.7%	868
Freeport Elementary School	White	68.8%	1,123
Freeport Middle School	White	72.3%	700
Freeport Senior High School	White	75.2%	557
Maude Saunders Elementary School	White	59.3%	553
Mossy Head School	White	71.3%	439
Paxton School	White	88.4%	819
Seaside Neighborhood School	White	85.1%	403
South Walton High School	White	76.8%	1,235
Van R. Butler Elementary School	White	70.9%	1,013
Walton Academy Inc.	White	65.8%	181
Walton County Jail Program	White	< 10%	< 10
Walton High School	White	66.4%	856
Walton Initiative for Success in Education (Wise)	White	72.1%	215
Walton Learning Center	Black	72.4%	29
Walton Middle School	White	65.7%	801
Walton Virtual Franchise	White	93.6%	31
Walton Virtual School Wcsd	White	< 10%	< 10
West Defuniak Elementary School	White	61%	669