There were 4,608 white students enrolled in Highlands County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 4.3% decrease from the 4,817 white students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Data showed that Highlands County welcomed a total of 11,966 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, white students comprised 38.5% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 21 schools in Highlands County, Sebring High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 848 students, making up 44.6% 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 white Students Enrolment | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Sebring High School | 44.6% | 1,901 |
| Avon Park High School | 28.3% | 946 |
| Lake Placid High School | 37.3% | 829 |
| Sebring Middle School | 48.2% | 787 |
| Woodlawn Elementary School | 40.7% | 777 |
| Cracker Trail Elementary School | 62.9% | 736 |
| Hill-Gustat Middle School | 35.3% | 631 |
| Lake Country Elementary School | 40% | 628 |
| Avon Park Middle School | 24.1% | 602 |
| Lake Placid Middle School | 35.5% | 598 |
| Sun ‘n Lake Elementary School | 39% | 590 |
| Fred Wild Elementary School | 35.7% | 577 |
| Avon Elementary School | 25% | 553 |
| Lake Placid Elementary School | 41.1% | 548 |
| Park Elementary School | 29.8% | 521 |
| Memorial Elementary School | 29.1% | 508 |
| Highlands Virtual School | 55.6% | 133 |
| The Academy at Youth Care Lane | 25.7% | 70 |
