West Florida News

There were 3,130 Hispanic students enrolled in Charlotte County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 7.1% increase from the 2,923 Hispanic students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Charlotte County welcomed a total of 16,858 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 18.6% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 24 schools in Charlotte County, Port Charlotte High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 406 students, making up 24.5% 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 Hispanic Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Charlotte High School	19.3%	1,976
Port Charlotte High School	24.5%	1,659
Lemon Bay High School	12.6%	1,346
Punta Gorda Middle School	14.6%	1,072
Babcock Neighborhood School	15.9%	966
Port Charlotte Middle School	25.1%	884
East Elementary School	15.1%	800
Neil Armstrong Elementary School	27.7%	784
Deep Creek Elementary School	15.9%	767
Liberty Elementary School	21.2%	694
Meadow Park Elementary School	22.1%	669
Sallie Jones Elementary School	15%	658
Myakka River Elementary School	11%	652
L. A. Ainger Middle School	13.7%	644
Murdock Middle School	24.3%	635
Kingsway Elementary School	21.1%	587
Peace River Elementary School	20.8%	524
Vineland Elementary School	12%	502
Florida Southwestern Collegiate High School	17.5%	355
The Academy	17.4%	298
Baker/Head Start	19.4%	165
Charlotte Harbor School	12.9%	140
Charlotte Virtual Franchise	19.8%	81