Sumter County School District had most of their students enrolled in first-grade during 2023-24 school year

Sumter County School District’s first-grade had the highest student enrollment per grade in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Overall, there were 791 students enrolled in district’s first-grade in the 2023-24 school year, making up 8.2% of the student body in the district.

The number of students in the first-grade grew by 10.6% compared to the year before.

Sumter County School District also had a high enrollment for the third-grade, the second highest recorded in the district.

Within the district, Villages Charter School had the most first-grade students in the 2023-24 school year. Sumter County Virtual Instruction Program had the fewest.

Data showed that Sumter County School District enrolled a total of 9,598 students in the 2023-24 school year, the 33rd lowest enrollment in Florida.

It was also ranked 33rd lowest in the year before.

Meanwhile, Florida continues to face a teacher shortage in the 2023-24 school year. Despite some improvements, the state reported nearly 4,800 instructional vacancies at the beginning of the year. According to the Florida Department of Education, core subjects such as English, reading, and math among the areas with the highest demand for teachers.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranked 50th in the U.S. for teacher pay in the 2022-23 school year, with salaries lower than they were a decade ago when adjusted for inflation.

Governor DeSantis’s budget for the 2024-25 school year allocates nearly $38 billion for education, with $1.25 billion dedicated to teachers’ salaries and other instructional personnel.