NC Florida News

There were 9,785 students enrolled in Columbia County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1% less than the previous year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 59.6% of the student body, the largest percentage in Columbia County schools, followed by 21.9% of Black students, 9.7% of Hispanic students and 6.9% of multiracial students.

Columbia High School registered the highest enrollment among Columbia County's 17 schools at the time, welcoming 1,727 students.

As of the 2024-25 school year, Florida had a total of 4,471 public schools serving over 2.8 million students across the state.

As of 2025, Florida has an average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 18:1, which is significantly worse than the national average of 15:1. The state’s worst ratios are found in high schools, with an average ratio of 21:1.

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.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranks 50th in the U.S. in terms of teacher salaries, only ahead of West Virginia.

School name	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2023-24	% Change
Columbia High School	1,737	1,727	-0.6%
Fort White High School	1,158	1,117	-3.5%
Lake City Middle School	970	941	-3%
Belmont Academy	759	823	8.4%
Westside Elementary School	696	714	2.6%
Eastside Elementary School	631	664	5.2%
Fort White Elementary School	681	646	-5.1%
Columbia City Elementary School	615	586	-4.7%
Summers Elementary School	517	531	2.7%
Pinemount Elementary School	486	471	-3.1%
Richardson Sixth Grade Academy	450	420	-6.7%
Melrose Park Elementary School	398	388	-2.5%
Five Points Elementary School	400	359	-10.3%
Niblack Elementary School	282	307	8.9%
Pathways Academy	87	58	-33.3%
Columbia Virtual Instruction Program	16	18	12.5%
PreK Ese	0	15	-