Panama City Reporter

There were 3,855 Black students enrolled in Bay County schools in the 2022-23 school year, a 7.4% increase from the 3,589 Black students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Bay County welcomed a total of 27,324 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 14.1% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 47 schools in Bay County, Rutherford High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 427 students, making up 31.9% of the school's total student body.

In 2022, Florida had more than 2.8 million students enrolled in its 4,202 schools. There were 163,558 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 17 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

Private school enrollment increased by more than 51,000 students in the 2021-22 school year, which was a notable rebound after the pandemic. In total, there were 416,084 students enrolled, marking the highest enrollment in private schools reported by the Florida Department of Education in 30 years.

According to WalletHub's analysis, Florida is ranked ninth out of 50 states in terms of its public school quality and safety.

School name	% of Black Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
A. Crawford Mosley High School	8.6	1,901
J. R. Arnold High School	8.5	1,617
Rutherford High School	31.9	1,337
Bay High School	27.6	1,255
Breakfast Point Academy	5.2	1,058
North Bay Haven Career Academy	6.7	897
Mowat Middle School	17.5	868
Surfside Middle School	9.5	843
Tyndall Academy	13.3	800
Bay Haven Charter Academy	8.8	765
Deer Point Elementary School	2.6	705
Merritt Brown Middle School	7	701
Lynn Haven Elementary School	6.7	699
University Academy Sabl Inc.	1.5	688
Patronis Elementary School	2	648
Hiland Park Elementary School	14.8	643
Tommy Smith Elementary School	3.8	639
Hutchison Beach Elementary School	14.8	621
Northside Elementary School	18.7	598
Jinks Middle School	34.2	570
Cedar Grove Elementary School	36.5	562
North Bay Haven Charter Academy Middle School	5	524
Callaway Elementary School	23.3	511
Lucille Moore Elementary School	24.9	503
Parker Elementary School	32.3	496
Bay Haven Charter Middle School	7.6	433
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary School	33.4	362
Rosenwald High School	20.3	345
A. Gary Walsingham Academy	3.5	343
Palm Bay Elementary School	25.9	316
Rising Leaders Academy	4	301
Palm Bay Preparatory Academy 6-12	5.6	195