Pasco Reporter

white students made up the largest ethnic group enrolled in Pasco County County school districts during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Of the 85,840 students attending Pasco County schools, 54.1% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 26.6% of Pasco County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Pasco County, representing 55.1% of the student body.

Juvenile Detention Center had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, including 50% white students.

In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in the county increased by 2.2% when compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, Florida continues to face a teacher shortage in the 2023-24 school year. Despite some improvements, the state reported nearly 4,800 instructional vacancies at the beginning of the year. According to the Florida Department of Education, core subjects such as English, reading, and math among the areas with the highest demand for teachers.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranked 50th in the U.S. for teacher pay in the 2022-23 school year, with salaries lower than they were a decade ago when adjusted for inflation.

Governor DeSantis's budget for the 2024-25 school year allocates nearly $38 billion for education, with $1.25 billion dedicated to teachers' salaries and other instructional personnel.

School Name	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Academy at the Farm	White	79.1%	727
Anclote Elementary School	White	48.5%	559
Anclote High School	White	50.9%	1,202
Athenian Academy of Technology and the Arts	White	62.2%	384
Bayonet Point Middle School	White	46.5%	662
Bexley Elementary School	White	54%	1,262
Calusa Elementary School	White	52.1%	443
Centennial Elementary School	White	53.3%	672
Centennial Middle School	White	46.1%	642
Charles S. Rushe Middle School	White	56.6%	1,353
Chasco Elementary School	White	40.1%	636
Chasco Middle School	White	44.5%	632
Chester W. Taylor Jr. Elementary School	White	56.6%	705
Classical Preparatory School	White	64.1%	1,124
Connerton Elementary School	White	53.1%	1,014
Cotee River Elementary School	White	52.8%	559
Countryside Montessori Academy	White	48.7%	355
Crews Lake Middle School.	White	69.4%	759
Cypress Creek High School	White	49.3%	1,910
Cypress Creek Middle School	White	49.1%	1,297
Cypress Elementary School	White	68.7%	595
Dayspring Academy	White	65.5%	943
Dayspring Jazz	White	65.7%	262
Deer Park Elementary School	White	67.4%	491
Denham Oaks Elementary School	White	38.5%	782
Double Branch Elementary School	White	52.6%	857
Dr. John Long Middle School	White	43%	1,409
Dr. Mary Giella Elementary School	White	68.4%	608
East Pasco Education Academy	Black	34.2%	82
Fivay High School	White	50.2%	1,634
Fox Hollow Elementary School	White	47.7%	683
Gulf High School	White	52%	1,532
Gulf Highlands Elementary School	White	54.9%	742
Gulf Middle School	White	49%	858
Gulf Trace Elementary School	White	49.7%	694
Gulfside Elementary School	White	46.3%	419
Hudson Academy	White	64.4%	928
Hudson High School	White	69.1%	1,449
Hudson Primary Academy	White	68%	634
Imagine School at Land O' Lakes	White	54%	895
Innovation Preparatory Academy	White	35.1%	1,169
James M. Marlowe Elementary School	White	54.2%	565
James W. Mitchell High School	White	70.3%	2,192
Juvenile Detention Center	White	50%	24
Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation	White	53.2%	697
Lacoochee Elementary School	Hispanic	41.3%	298
Lake Myrtle Elementary School	White	60%	635
Land O' Lakes High School	White	54.9%	2,278
Learning Lodge Academy	White	72.7%	271
Longleaf Elementary School	White	83.2%	588
Mittye P. Locke Elementary School	White	57%	100
Moon Lake Elementary School	White	63.9%	593
New River Elementary School	Hispanic	35.3%	808
Oakstead Elementary School	White	53.5%	1,093
Odessa Elementary School	White	51.1%	1,046
Pace Center for Girls	White	68.6%	51
Pasco Elementary School	Hispanic	50.5%	638
Pasco Eschool-Virtual Franchise	White	66.7%	583
Pasco High School	Hispanic	42.9%	1,602
Pasco Middle School	Hispanic	44%	831
Pasco Virtual Instruction Program	White	60.3%	141
Paul R. Smith Middle School	White	49.1%	864
Pepin Academies of Pasco County	White	67.1%	313
Pine View Elementary School	White	56.3%	574
Pine View Middle School	White	59.2%	950
Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel	Hispanic	39.2%	1,259
Plato Academy Trinity Charter School	White	66.6%	524
Quail Hollow Elementary School	White	49%	569
Raymond B. Stewart Middle School	White	49.5%	965
Richey Elementary School	White	55%	767
River Ridge High School	White	71.2%	1,814
River Ridge Middle School	White	74.8%	1,066
Rodney B. Cox Elementary School	Hispanic	56.3%	407
San Antonio Elementary School	White	61.3%	643
Sand Pine Elementary School	White	45.5%	519
Sanders Memorial Elementary School	White	66.8%	861
Schrader Elementary School	White	57.1%	602
Seven Oaks Elementary School	White	55.8%	658
Seven Springs Elementary School	White	55.9%	510
Seven Springs Middle School	White	69%	1,517
Shady Hills Elementary School	White	73.1%	487
Sheriff's Detention Center	Black	< 10%	16
Starkey Ranch K-8	White	65.7%	2,040
Sunlake High School	White	57.1%	2,192
Sunray Elementary School	White	47.3%	431
Thomas E. Weightman Middle School	White	41.7%	1,301
Trinity Elementary School	White	72.1%	588
Trinity Oaks Elementary School	White	72.4%	660
Union Park Charter Academy	White	44.8%	762
Veterans Elementary School	White	52.3%	663
Watergrass Elementary School	White	43.7%	939
Wendell Krinn Technical High School	White	69.2%	711
Wesley Chapel Elementary School	White	46%	806
Wesley Chapel High School	White	38.3%	1,886
West Pasco Education Academy	White	52.9%	155
West Zephyrhills Elementary School	White	48.8%	621
Wiregrass Elementary School	White	43.4%	1,000
Wiregrass Ranch High School	White	42.4%	2,183
Woodland Elementary School	White	51.3%	794
Zephyrhills High School	White	49.5%	1,740