Palm Coast Times

There were 2,326 Black students enrolled in Putnam County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 0.4% increase from the 2,317 Black students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Putnam County welcomed a total of 10,178 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 22.9% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 16 schools in Putnam County, Palatka Jr. - Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 614 students, making up 38.2% of the school's total student body.

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.

A 2024 WalletHub study ranked Florida 49th in the nation for teacher salaries when adjusted for cost of living, making it one of the lowest in the U.S.

School name	% of Black Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Palatka Jr. - Senior High School	38.2%	1,606
Interlachen Junior-Senior High School	12.5%	1,068
Middleton-Burney Elementary School	9.4%	1,053
Crescent City Junior-Senior High School	13%	994
Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Elementary School	4.9%	869
Kelley Smith Elementary School	33.5%	752
Browning-Pearce Elementary School	16.1%	664
William D. Moseley Elementary School	55.4%	585
James A. Long Elementary School	35.1%	542
Q. I. Roberts Jr. - Senior High School	11.3%	495
Ochwilla Elementary School	15.8%	399
Melrose Elementary School	8.4%	368
Mellon Learning Center	40.5%	291
The Children's Reading Center	25.8%	260
Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences	51.3%	195