Emerald Coast Times

Okaloosa County School District had a decrease in student enrollment during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education. Overall, there was a total of 677 students enrolled in the district in the academic year.

Data reveals that the majority of students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year were white, representing 61% of the Okaloosa County School District total enrollment.

Additionally, the largest portion of students in the district are enrolled in elementary school grades, making up 44.8% of the total enrollment.

Okaloosa County School District covers 50 schools within Okaloosa County, with its main office in Fort Walton Beach.

Among the 50 schools in Okaloosa County School District, Crestview High School recorded the highest enrollment of 2,397 students in the 2023-24 school year.

Meanwhile, Florida continues to face a teacher shortage in the 2023-24 school year. Despite some improvements, the state reported nearly 4,800 instructional vacancies at the beginning of the year. According to the Florida Department of Education, core subjects such as English, reading, and math among the areas with the highest demand for teachers.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranked 50th in the U.S. for teacher pay in the 2022-23 school year, with salaries lower than they were a decade ago when adjusted for inflation.

Governor DeSantis's budget for the 2024-25 school year allocates nearly $38 billion for education, with $1.25 billion dedicated to teachers' salaries and other instructional personnel.

School	Total Enrollment
Crestview High School	2,397
Niceville Senior High School	1,998
Choctawhatchee Senior High School	1,701
Fort Walton Beach High School	1,558
Baker School	1,461
Davidson Middle School	1,154
C. W. Ruckel Middle School	1,054
Liza Jackson Preparatory School	977
Antioch Elementary School	965
Destin Elementary School	933
Bluewater Elementary School	914
Shoal River Middle School	895
Destin Middle School	851
Northwood Elementary School	840
James E. Plew Elementary School	820
Bob Sikes Elementary School	813
Max Bruner Junior Middle School	739
W. C. Pryor Middle School	679
Addie R. Lewis School	677
Riverside Elementary School	652
Elliott Point Elementary School	598
Wright Elementary School	590
Shalimar Elementary School	589
Okaloosa Online Non Franchised	589
Longwood Elementary School	574
Clifford Meigs Middle School	558
Destin High School	557
Lula J. Edge Elementary School	543
Florosa Elementary School	531
Kenwood Elementary School	525
Walker Elementary School	512
Annette P. Edwins Elementary School	464
Laurel Hill School	463
Mary Esther Elementary School	444
Eglin Elementary School	429
Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College	423
Okaloosa Stemm Center	359
Southside Primary School	267
Okaloosa Academy	157
Northwest Florida Ballet Academie	137
Silver Sands-Excep. Children	106
Richbourg School	68
Okaloosa Technical College	43
Okaloosa Youth Academy	39
Okaloosa Regional Detention	33
Emerald Coast Career Institute N	30
Crestview Youth Academy (Non Secure)	23
Crestview Youth Academy	11
Adjudicated Youth Facility	0
Okaloosa Virtual Instruction Program	0