Ocala Standard

There were 19,124 white students enrolled in Marion County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 3.3% decrease from the 19,775 white students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Marion County welcomed a total of 44,571 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, white students comprised 42.9% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 58 schools in Marion County, Forest High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 1,318 students, making up 55.3% 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 white Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
West Port High School	31.1%	2,997
Forest High School	55.3%	2,383
Belleview High School	50.3%	1,835
Vanguard High School	34.3%	1,634
Belleview Middle School	53.3%	1,541
Dunnellon High School	44%	1,428
Lake Weir High School	47.3%	1,426
Sunrise Elementary School	16.9%	1,275
North Marion High School	52.5%	1,259
Liberty Middle School	32.3%	1,184
Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks	21.7%	1,112
Lake Weir Middle School	43.1%	1,101
Marion Oaks Elementary School	30.6%	1,050
Saddlewood Elementary School	30.6%	1,000
Fort King Middle School	43.1%	993
Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary School	36.1%	970
Fort McCoy School	83.8%	940
Osceola Middle School	54.4%	915
Ward-Highlands Elementary School	56.3%	911
Howard Middle School	26.8%	891
Harbour View Elementary School	50.9%	857
Maplewood Elementary School	50.1%	836
College Park Elementary School	18.1%	824
Dr. N. H. Jones Elementary School	32%	799
North Marion Middle School	40.8%	772
Greenway Elementary School	31.2%	746
Romeo Elementary School	46.5%	737
Ocala Springs Elementary School	48.9%	712
South Ocala Elementary School	40.4%	710
Dunnellon Middle School	49.4%	709
Emerald Shores Elementary School	35.7%	698
Legacy Elementary School	33.3%	691
Shady Hill Elementary School	50.8%	683
Belleview Elementary School	55.1%	675
Belleview-Santos Elementary School	52.3%	666
Dunnellon Elementary School	56.4%	640
East Marion Elementary School	79.9%	603
Wyomina Park Elementary School	28.5%	579
Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary School	64.7%	572
Oakcrest Elementary School	23.8%	555
Madison Street Academy of Visual and Performing Arts	56.6%	468
Sparr Elementary School	53.2%	434
Fessenden Elementary School	27.8%	431
Eighth Street Elementary School	71.2%	386
Reddick-Collier Elementary School	32.7%	355
Anthony Elementary School	50.2%	333
Marion Charter School	42.6%	230
Ocali Charter Middle School	44.8%	194
Silver River Mentoring and Instruction	23.7%	186
Hillcrest	49.1%	161
New Leaf Center	22.8%	123
Marion Technical Institute	43.2%	111
Ocala Center for Success and Independence	36.8%	68
Marion Regional. Juvenile Detention Center	54%	63
McIntosh Area School	70%	40
Pace Center for Girls Inc.	31.6%	38