Okeechobee Times

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