Okeechobee Times

There were 471 multiracial students enrolled in Hendry County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 9.6% decrease from the 521 multiracial students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Hendry County welcomed a total of 13,354 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, multiracial students comprised 3.5% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 13 schools in Hendry County, Digital Academy of Florida recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 410 students, making up 7% 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
Digital Academy of Florida	7%	5,880
Labelle High School	1.1%	1,415
Country Oaks Elementary School	1.2%	908
Central Elementary School	2.2%	602
Eastside Elementary School	2%	552
Westside Elementary School	2.1%	523