Emerald Coast Times

There were 552 white students enrolled in Santa Rosa County School District in the 2023-24 school year, 97.6% less than the previous year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Santa Rosa County School District welcomed 768 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, white students comprised 71% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the district.

Santa Rosa County School District roughly covers 37 schools within Santa Rosa County, and has a main office in Milton.

Among the 37 schools in Santa Rosa County School District, Pace High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 1,716 students.

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 Year	Total District Enrollment	Total white Students	white %
2023-24	768	552	71%%
2022-23	30,764	22,802	74.1%%
2021-22	30,576	22,683	74.2%%
2020-21	27,770	21,214	76.4%%
2019-20	29,054	22,306	76.8%%
2018-19	28,479	22,024	77.3%%
2017-18	27,995	21,753	77.7%%