Emerald Coast Times

There were 2,126 Hispanic students enrolled in Walton County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 6.5% increase from the 1,996 Hispanic students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Walton County welcomed a total of 11,637 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 18.3% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 20 schools in Walton County, Freeport Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 242 students, making up 20.8% 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 Hispanic Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Freeport Elementary School	20.8%	1,161
South Walton High School	17.7%	1,112
Van R. Butler Elementary School	18.5%	950
Dune Lakes Elementary School	23.4%	919
Walton High School	19.6%	898
Emerald Coast Middle School	21.8%	872
Paxton School	3.8%	795
Walton Middle School	19.7%	775
West Defuniak Elementary School	21.7%	699
Freeport Middle School	22.4%	678
Freeport Senior High School	17.9%	677
Maude Saunders Elementary School	17.1%	561
Mossy Head School	19.4%	504
Seaside Neighborhood School	7.3%	440
Walton Initiative for Success in Education (Wise)	15.4%	247
Walton Academy Inc.	18.8%	170
Bay School	21%	124