Hispanic students made up 27.5% of Hernando County schools enrollment in 2023-24 school year

Manny Diaz, Jr. Commissioner of education at Florida Department of Education | https://www.flbog.edu/member/21325/

By Hernando Reporter

Feb 20, 2025

There were 6,610 Hispanic students enrolled in Hernando County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 5.7% increase from the 6,251 Hispanic 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, Hispanic students comprised 27.5% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 29 schools in Hernando County, Explorer K-8 recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 574 students, making up 36.4% 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.

Ethnicities in Hernando County in 2023-24 School Year

Enrollment in Hernando County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School name	% of Hispanic Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Frank W. Springstead High School	29.8%	1,893
Winding Waters K-8	20.7%	1,638
Explorer K-8	36.4%	1,578
Challenger K-8 School of Science and Math	21.4%	1,467
Central High School	33.5%	1,452
Weeki Wachee High School	25%	1,402
Nature Coast Technical High School	27.9%	1,346
Hernando High School	18%	1,270
Powell Middle School	32.7%	1,061
Pine Grove Elementary School	25.1%	1,032
John D. Floyd Elementary School	38.6%	955
Suncoast Elementary School	35%	921
Spring Hill Elementary School	34.2%	893
Deltona Elementary School	36.3%	855
Fox Chapel Middle School	32.3%	779
Chocachatti Elementary School	25.7%	775
Eastside Elementary School	23.3%	743
D. S. Parrott Middle School	15.8%	728
Brooksville Elementary School	15.6%	672
Moton Elementary School	21%	671
West Hernando Middle School	28.1%	645
Westside Elementary School	25.4%	535
Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology	19.8%	217
Endeavor Academy	25.4%	185
Gulf Coast Elementary School	31.3%	112
Brooksville Engineering Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.) a	22.7%	97
Hernando Eschool Virtual Franchise	28.8%	59