East Panhandle News

Madison County School District's ninth-grade had the highest student enrollment per grade in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Overall, there were 206 students enrolled in district’s ninth-grade in the 2023-24 school year, making up 9.0% of the student body in the district.

The number of students in the ninth-grade grew by 0.5% compared to the year before.

Madison County School District also had a high enrollment for the 10th-grade, the second highest recorded in the district.

Within the district, Madison County High School had the most ninth-grade students in the 2023-24 school year. Joann Bridges Academy and Madison Virtual Franchise had the fewest.

Data showed that Madison County School District enrolled a total of 2,300 students in the 2023-24 school year, the 13th lowest enrollment in Florida.

It was also ranked 13th lowest in the year before.

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.

Schools	Number of Students
Greenville Elementary School	96
James Madison Preparatory High School	196
Joann Bridges Academy	13
Lee Elementary School	170
Madison County Central School	802
Madison County High School	488
Madison Creative Arts Academy Inc.	390
Madison Virtual Franchise	12
Pinetta Elementary School	133
Total Madison County School District	2,300