Key West Reporter

There were 1,098 Black students enrolled in Monroe County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 4.8% increase from the 1,048 Black students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Monroe County welcomed a total of 8,832 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 12.4% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 22 schools in Monroe County, Horace O'Bryant School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 258 students, making up 26% 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
Key West High School	15.1%	1,302
Horace O'Bryant School	26%	994
Marathon School	4.1%	772
Key Largo School	4.6%	759
Coral Shores High School	2.9%	753
Sugarloaf School	4.4%	678
Gerald Adams Elementary School	38.3%	665
Stanley Switlik Elementary School	5.6%	593
Poinciana Elementary School	38%	552
Sigsbee Charter School	5%	545