Treasure Coast Sun

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

Of the 16,950 students attending Indian River County schools, 49.7% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 25.1% of Indian River County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Indian River County, representing 52.3% of the student body.

Vero Beach Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, including 35.2% white students, 28.7% Hispanic students, 23.8% Black students, 8.5% multiracial students, and 3.6% Asian students.

In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in the county dropped 1.4% 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
Alternative Center for Education	Black	46.4%	56
Beachland Elementary School	White	59.4%	492
Citrus Elementary School	White	44.6%	651
Dodgertown Elementary School	Black	52.4%	519
Exceptional Student Education	White	54.6%	44
Fellsmere Elementary School	Hispanic	80.7%	591
Gifford Middle School	Black	37.7%	587
Glendale Elementary School	White	57.3%	431
Imagine at South Vero	White	83.3%	880
Indian River Academy	White	32.6%	466
Indian River Charter High School	White	69.6%	691
Indian River Virtual Instruction Program	White	46%	37
Liberty Magnet School	White	59.6%	539
North County Charter School	White	67.4%	261
Osceola Magnet School	White	55.9%	528
Oslo Middle School	White	38.6%	834
Pelican Island Elementary School	White	56.9%	346
Rosewood Magnet School	White	54.9%	541
Sebastian Charter Junior High School	White	64.5%	296
Sebastian Elementary School	White	58.1%	341
Sebastian River High School	White	47.6%	1,791
Sebastian River Middle School	White	45.1%	838
St. Peter's Academy	Black	48.9%	92
Storm Grove Middle School	White	59.1%	967
Treasure Coast Elementary School	White	64.5%	679
Vero Beach Elementary School	White	35.3%	610
Vero Beach High School	White	47.7%	2,783
Wabasso School	White	33.9%	59