Emerald Coast Times

There were 3,176 multiracial students enrolled in Okaloosa County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 3.5% increase from the 3,070 multiracial 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, multiracial students comprised 9.8% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 50 schools in Okaloosa County, Crestview High School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 284 students, making up 11.8% 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 multiracial Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Crestview High School	11.8%	2,397
Niceville Senior High School	8.3%	1,998
Choctawhatchee Senior High School	10.3%	1,701
Fort Walton Beach High School	9.4%	1,558
Baker School	4.7%	1,461
Davidson Middle School	7.7%	1,154
C. W. Ruckel Middle School	8.8%	1,054
Riverside Elementary School	13.9%	991
Liza Jackson Preparatory School	7.5%	977
Antioch Elementary School	12.1%	965
Destin Elementary School	8.4%	933
Bluewater Elementary School	4.9%	914
Shoal River Middle School	12.2%	895
Destin Middle School	5.9%	851
Walker Elementary School	9.1%	848
Northwood Elementary School	13%	840
James E. Plew Elementary School	9.1%	820
Bob Sikes Elementary School	10.3%	813
Max Bruner Junior Middle School	11.6%	739
W. C. Pryor Middle School	7.7%	679
Addie R. Lewis School	12.1%	677
Elliott Point Elementary School	13.5%	598
Wright Elementary School	9.2%	590
Shalimar Elementary School	10.2%	589
Okaloosa Online Non Franchised	10.9%	589
Longwood Elementary School	9.9%	574
Clifford Meigs Middle School	9%	558
Destin High School	3.6%	557
Lula J. Edge Elementary School	13.4%	543
Florosa Elementary School	13.9%	531
Kenwood Elementary School	12.8%	525
Annette P. Edwins Elementary School	13.6%	464
Laurel Hill School	6.3%	463
Mary Esther Elementary School	13.3%	444
Eglin Elementary School	16.6%	429
Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College	12.8%	423
Okaloosa Stemm Center	12.5%	359
Southside Primary School	11.2%	267
Okaloosa Academy	10.8%	157
Northwest Florida Ballet Academie	9.5%	137