Okeechobee Times

There were 115 Black students enrolled in Hendry County School District in the 2023-24 school year, 95.3% less than the previous year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Hendry County School District welcomed 602 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 19% of the student body to be the second least represented ethnicity in the district.

Hendry County School District roughly covers 13 schools within Hendry County, and has a main office in Labelle.

Among the 13 schools in Hendry County School District, Digital Academy of Florida recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 1,262 students.

Meanwhile, Florida continues to face a teacher shortage in the 2023-24 school year. Despite some improvements, the state reported nearly 4,800 instructional vacancies at the beginning of the year. According to the Florida Department of Education, core subjects such as English, reading, and math among the areas with the highest demand for teachers.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranked 50th in the U.S. for teacher pay in the 2022-23 school year, with salaries lower than they were a decade ago when adjusted for inflation.

Governor DeSantis's budget for the 2024-25 school year allocates nearly $38 billion for education, with $1.25 billion dedicated to teachers' salaries and other instructional personnel.

School Year	Total District Enrollment	Total Black Students	Black %
2023-24	602	115	19%%
2022-23	13,859	2,438	17.6%%
2021-22	14,333	2,670	18.6%%
2020-21	13,629	2,327	17.1%%
2019-20	8,917	1,336	15%%
2018-19	7,267	995	13.7%%
2017-18	7,336	1,021	13.9%%