Sumter Times

There were 542 multiracial students enrolled in Sumter County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 7.1% increase from the 506 multiracial students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Sumter County welcomed a total of 9,196 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, multiracial students comprised 5.9% of the student body to be the second least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 11 schools in Sumter County, Villages Charter School recorded the highest enrollment of multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 219 students, making up 5.9% 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 multiracial Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Villages Charter School	5.9%	3,728
South Sumter High School	6%	1,058
South Sumter Middle School	6.5%	879
Webster Elementary School	4.1%	738
Wildwood Middle/ High School	5%	737
Bushnell Elementary School	7.5%	719
Wildwood Elementary School	7.1%	658
Lake Panasoffkee Elementary School	5.9%	589