Sumter Times

The majority of students in Sumter County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Of the 9,404 students attending Sumter County schools, 61.1% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 17.9% of Sumter County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Sumter County, representing 59.7% of the student body.

Wildwood Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, including 34.5% white students, 34.4% Black students, 23.1% Hispanic students, and 6.5% multiracial students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 5.5% when compared to the previous year.

Florida's choice to stick with in-person classes during the pandemic may have shielded students from significant learning setbacks. A recent Harvard study highlighted that districts heavily reliant on remote learning saw the most significant declines in student achievement amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Interestingly, gaps in math achievement by race and school poverty did not widen in school districts in states such as Texas and Florida and elsewhere that remained largely in-person, said Thomas Kane, professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

School Name	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Bushnell Elementary School	White	61.8%	760
Lake Panasoffkee Elementary School	White	71.9%	584
South Sumter High School	White	65%	1,045
South Sumter Middle School	White	66%	897
Sumter County Virtual Instruction Program	White	83.3%	12
Sumter Prep Academy	White	44.7%	94
Sumter Virtual Franchise	White	< 10%	< 10
Villages Charter School	White	69.6%	3,473
Webster Elementary School	White	62.6%	748
Wildwood Elementary School	White	34.5%	940
Wildwood Middle/ High School	White	37.7%	843