There were 10,178 students enrolled in Putnam County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 1.1% less than the previous year, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Data showed that white students made up 51.3% of the student body, the largest percentage in Putnam County schools, followed by 22.9% of Black students, 20% of Hispanic students and 4.8% of multiracial students.
Palatka Jr. – Senior High School registered the highest enrollment among Putnam County’s 16 schools at the time, welcoming 1,606 students.
As of the 2024-25 school year, Florida had a total of 4,471 public schools serving over 2.8 million students across the state.
As of 2025, Florida has an average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 18:1, which is significantly worse than the national average of 15:1. The state’s worst ratios are found in high schools, with an average ratio of 21:1.
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.
According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranks 50th in the U.S. in terms of teacher salaries, only ahead of West Virginia.
| School name | Total Enrollment in 2022-23 | Total Enrollment in 2023-24 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatka Jr. – Senior High School | 1,639 | 1,606 | -2% |
| Interlachen Junior-Senior High School | 1,097 | 1,068 | -2.6% |
| Middleton-Burney Elementary School | 1,046 | 1,053 | 0.7% |
| Crescent City Junior-Senior High School | 1,005 | 994 | -1.1% |
| Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Elementary School | 904 | 869 | -3.9% |
| Kelley Smith Elementary School | 753 | 752 | -0.1% |
| Browning-Pearce Elementary School | 660 | 664 | 0.6% |
| William D. Moseley Elementary School | 609 | 585 | -3.9% |
| James A. Long Elementary School | 552 | 542 | -1.8% |
| Q. I. Roberts Jr. – Senior High School | 476 | 495 | 4% |
| Ochwilla Elementary School | 410 | 399 | -2.7% |
| Melrose Elementary School | 376 | 368 | -2.1% |
| Mellon Learning Center | 267 | 291 | 9% |
| The Children’s Reading Center | 257 | 260 | 1.2% |
| Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences | 177 | 195 | 10.2% |
| Putnam Virtual Franchise | 64 | 37 | -42.2% |
