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.
Defuniak Springs, Florida - 21 schools
An equity score of 44/100 ranks Walton #41 of 67 districts in Florida (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,790 per pupil, Walton ranks #18 of 67 Florida districts by per-pupil spending (Florida districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Walton operates 21 public schools serving 11,575 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Florida. The school portfolio breaks down into 11 combined, 5 elementary, 3 high, 2 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Walton County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,790 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 67 Florida districts by per-pupil spending. See how Florida compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 75.6% local, 11.8% state, and 12.6% 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 44/100, ranked #41 of 67 in Florida against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 21 schools offering Advanced Placement (56 AP courses district-wide), a 671.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 25.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 67.9% White, 19.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Maude Saunders Elementary School, with a diversity index of 62.5/100.
Its largest campus is South Walton High School, enrolling 1,127 students (10% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Walton County Jail Program, at 3 students, a 376x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Walton school enrollment ranges from 3 students (lowest) to 1,127 students (highest), a spread of 1,124 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. 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
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 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 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
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 Variation between sub-units within Walton is typically wider than the Walton-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 21 schools in Walton.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Walton's schools, below the Florida average of 52.3.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| South Walton High School | 1,127 |
| Freeport Elementary School | 1,120 |
| Walton High School | 969 |
| Dune Lakes Elementary School | 924 |
| Van R. Butler Elementary School | 914 |
| Emerald Coast Middle School | 872 |
| Walton Middle School | 796 |
| Freeport Middle School | 790 |
| Paxton School | 783 |
| West Defuniak Elementary School | 704 |
| Freeport Senior High School | 677 |
| Maude Saunders Elementary School | 554 |
| Mossy Head School | 521 |
| Seaside Neighborhood School Charter | 501 |
| Walton Initiative for Success in Education (Wise) | 264 |
| Walton Academy Inc. Charter | 130 |
| Bay School | 130 |
| Walton Virtual Franchise | 31 |
| Walton Learning Center | 29 |
| Walton Virtual School Wcsd | 6 |
| Walton County Jail Program | 3 |
The Florida districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Nassau | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Putnam | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Columbia | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Flagler | Similar size | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Walton's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Miami-Dade →Walton has 21 schools, including 3 high, 11 combined, 5 elementary, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 11,575 students.
Walton spends $11,790 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #41 in Florida.
Walton students are 67.9% White, 19.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% African American, 1.1% Asian, averaged across 21 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Walton has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #41 out of 67 districts in Florida.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.