Ocala Standard

There were 25 Alaska Native students enrolled in Marion County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 66.7% increase from the 15 Alaska Native 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, Alaska Native students comprised 0.1% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 58 schools in Marion County, Belleview High School recorded the highest enrollment of Alaska Native students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 14 students, making up 0.8% 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 Alaska Native Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
West Port High School	0.4%	2,997
Belleview High School	0.8%	1,835