NC Florida News

The majority of students in Gilchrist County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Of the 2,839 students attending Gilchrist County schools, 78.3% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 13% of Gilchrist County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Gilchrist County, representing 78.1% of the student body.

Bell High School and Bell Elementary School had the most diverse student body in the county, which included Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, multiracial, and Alaskan Native or American Indian.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 1.5% when compared to the previous year.

Florida's choice to stick with in-person classes during the pandemic may have shielded students from significant learning setbacks. A recent Harvard study highlighted that districts heavily reliant on remote learning saw the most significant declines in student achievement amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Interestingly, gaps in math achievement by race and school poverty did not widen in school districts in states such as Texas and Florida and elsewhere that remained largely in-person, said Thomas Kane, professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

School Name	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Bell Elementary School	White	83.5%	661
Bell High School	White	81.8%	627
Gilchrist Virtual Franchise	White	73.9%	23
Gilchrist Virtual Instruction Program	White	< 10%	< 10
Trenton Elementary School	White	74.3%	809
Trenton High School	White	75%	715