Hernando Reporter

There were 1,952 Black students enrolled in Hernando County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 1.9% increase from the 1,915 Black students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Hernando County welcomed a total of 24,006 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 8.1% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 29 schools in Hernando County, Hernando High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 171 students, making up 13.5% 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 Black Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Frank W. Springstead High School	6.8%	1,893
Winding Waters K-8	4.8%	1,638
Explorer K-8	10.1%	1,578
Challenger K-8 School of Science and Math	3.3%	1,467
Central High School	9.8%	1,452
Weeki Wachee High School	5.7%	1,402
Nature Coast Technical High School	6.7%	1,346
Hernando High School	13.5%	1,270
Powell Middle School	7.7%	1,061
Pine Grove Elementary School	8.5%	1,032
John D. Floyd Elementary School	7.1%	955
Suncoast Elementary School	4.8%	921
Spring Hill Elementary School	6.3%	893
Deltona Elementary School	5.3%	855
Fox Chapel Middle School	7.6%	779
Chocachatti Elementary School	4.8%	775
Eastside Elementary School	11.6%	743
D. S. Parrott Middle School	13.7%	728
Brooksville Elementary School	13.8%	672
Moton Elementary School	22.4%	671
West Hernando Middle School	11.5%	645
Westside Elementary School	6.2%	535
Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology	4.6%	217
Endeavor Academy	15.7%	185