Emerald Coast Times

There were 22 Alaska Native students enrolled in Santa Rosa County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 69.2% increase from the 13 Alaska Native students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Santa Rosa County welcomed a total of 29,561 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Alaska Native students comprised 0.1% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 38 schools in Santa Rosa County, Pace High School recorded the highest enrollment of Alaska Native students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 12 students, making up 0.5% of the school's total student body.

Gov. DeSantis has approved an education budget of over $28 billion for the 2024-25 school year. The new budget includes more than $1 billion earmarked exclusively for teacher salaries to better address the teacher shortage the state faces.

A 2024 WalletHub study ranked Florida 49th in the nation for teacher salaries when adjusted for cost of living, making it one of the lowest in the U.S.

School name	% of Alaska Native Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Navarre High School	0.4%	2,430
Pace High School	0.5%	2,284