There were 2,830 Hispanic students enrolled in Okeechobee County’s only school district in the 2023-24 school year, the same as in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Data showed that Okeechobee County welcomed a total of 6,337 students at the time. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 44.7% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county. They were followed by white students with a count of 2,813 (44.4%), and Black students, totaling 388, or 6.1% of the student population.
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.
According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranks 50th in the U.S. in terms of teacher salaries, only ahead of West Virginia.
| District | No. of Hispanic Students | Total District Enrollment | % of Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okeechobee County School District | 2,830 | 6,337 | 44.7% |