Gulf

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Port St Joe, Florida - 5 schools

An equity score of 69/100 ranks Gulf #9 of 67 districts in Florida (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,147 per pupil, Gulf ranks #4 of 67 Florida districts by per-pupil spending (Florida districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,928
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$13,147
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Gulf operates 5 public schools serving 1,928 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Florida. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Gulf County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,147 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 7 of 67 Florida districts by per-pupil spending. See how Florida compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 59.5% local, 23.9% state, and 16.6% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 69/100, ranked #9 of 67 in Florida against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 469.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 48.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 73.0% White, 10.7% African American, 8.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Prek Ese, with a diversity index of 63.5/100.

Its largest campus is Port St. Joe High School, enrolling 575 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Prek Ese, at 24 students, a 24x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Port St. Joe High School accounts for 29.8% of all Gulf student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Gulf-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Gulf school enrollment varies 24× across entities

Gulf school enrollment ranges from 24 students (lowest) to 575 students (highest), a spread of 551 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Gulf student-counselor ratio is 469:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Gulf chronic absenteeism rate is 48.1% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

16.6%
Federal
23.9%
State
59.5%
Local

Funding Equity

69
Equity Score
9 / 67
State Rank
51
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 5 schools in Gulf.

White 73.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
African American 10.7%
Multiracial 7.5%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 42.3/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Gulf's schools, below the Florida average of 52.3.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Prek Ese 63.5
  2. 2 Port St. Joe Elementary School 50.2
  3. 3 Port St. Joe High School 46.3
  4. 4 Wewahitchka Elementary School 28.2
  5. 5 Wewahitchka High School 23.4

Programs & Resources

469.3:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
48.1%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Gulf

School Enrollment
Port St. Joe High School
575
Wewahitchka Elementary School
448
Port St. Joe Elementary School
428
Wewahitchka High School
426
Prek Ese
24

How Gulf Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Florida districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Glades Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Dixie Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Calhoun Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
South Tech Academy Similar size No spending data No revenue-mix data
Hamilton Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Gulf's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Florida

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Miami-Dade
334,090 students · 542 schools · $12,258/pupil
Compare vs Gulf →
Broward
254,732 students · 329 schools · $11,419/pupil
Compare vs Gulf →
Hillsborough
224,538 students · 309 schools · $9,835/pupil
Compare vs Gulf →
Orange
207,561 students · 276 schools · $11,578/pupil
Compare vs Gulf →
Palm Beach
188,843 students · 234 schools · $12,727/pupil
Compare vs Gulf →

Compare Gulf

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Miami-Dade →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Gulf?

Gulf has 5 schools, including 5 combined. Total enrollment is 1,928 students.

How much does Gulf spend per student?

Gulf spends $13,147 per student. The district has an equity score of 69/100, ranking #9 in Florida.

What is the demographic composition of Gulf?

Gulf students are 73.0% White, 10.7% African American, 8.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Gulf?

Gulf has an equity score of 69/100, ranking #9 out of 67 districts in Florida.