Emerald Coast Times

There were 472 Asian students enrolled in Okaloosa County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 9.8% increase from the 430 Asian students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Okaloosa County welcomed a total of 32,415 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Asian students comprised 1.5% of the student body to be the second least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 50 schools in Okaloosa County, Fort Walton Beach High School recorded the highest enrollment of Asian students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 47 students, making up 3% 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 Asian Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Crestview High School	1.7%	2,397
Niceville Senior High School	1.6%	1,998
Choctawhatchee Senior High School	1.8%	1,701
Fort Walton Beach High School	3%	1,558
Davidson Middle School	0.9%	1,154
Riverside Elementary School	1.1%	991
Liza Jackson Preparatory School	3.2%	977
Antioch Elementary School	1.9%	965
Destin Elementary School	2.9%	933
Bluewater Elementary School	1.1%	914
Shoal River Middle School	2.3%	895
Destin Middle School	3.6%	851
James E. Plew Elementary School	1.6%	820
Max Bruner Junior Middle School	2%	739
W. C. Pryor Middle School	1.9%	679
Addie R. Lewis School	1.8%	677
Wright Elementary School	3.2%	590
Shalimar Elementary School	2.4%	589
Longwood Elementary School	2.3%	574
Clifford Meigs Middle School	2.2%	558
Destin High School	2.2%	557
Kenwood Elementary School	2.3%	525
Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College	4.3%	423
Okaloosa Stemm Center	2.8%	359