Manny Diaz,Jr., Commissioner of education at Florida Department of Education | https://www.fldoe.org/about-us/commissioner.stml
Manny Diaz,Jr., Commissioner of education at Florida Department of Education | https://www.fldoe.org/about-us/commissioner.stml
Data showed that Columbia County welcomed a total of 9,785 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 21.9% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.
Among the 17 schools in Columbia County, Columbia High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 511 students, making up 29.6% 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 Black Students Enrolment | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia High School | 29.6% | 1,727 |
| Fort White High School | 9.3% | 1,117 |
| Lake City Middle School | 29.1% | 941 |
| Belmont Academy | 3.2% | 823 |
| Westside Elementary School | 14.1% | 714 |
| Eastside Elementary School | 20.3% | 664 |
| Fort White Elementary School | 7.7% | 646 |
| Columbia City Elementary School | 4.8% | 586 |
| Summers Elementary School | 36.9% | 531 |
| Pinemount Elementary School | 12.5% | 471 |
| Richardson Sixth Grade Academy | 27.4% | 420 |
| Melrose Park Elementary School | 45.1% | 388 |
| Five Points Elementary School | 26.2% | 359 |
| Niblack Elementary School | 82.7% | 307 |
| Pathways Academy | 39.7% | 58 |
ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY
!RECEIVE ALERTS
DONATE
Alerts Sign-up