Total enrollment
4,155
-459 (-10%) vs SY 2020-21
11 schools in DESOTO
Florida · 4,171 students · 2 cities
DESOTO in Florida runs 11 public K-12 schools today, teaching roughly 4,171 students (an average of 379 per school).
4-year change in DESOTO
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
7
-2 (-22%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How DESOTO ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Florida | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 41.9% | #60 of 63 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 4,171 | #53 of 70 | #2,326 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 9 | #49 of 70 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.8:1 | #41 of 70 | #7,595 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 59.6% | #16 of 70 | #2,899 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.5% | #33 of 68 | #1,577 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside DESOTO
State test results across the district's 5 scored schools run from WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 47.7% proficient to DESOTO MIDDLE SCHOOL at 39.3%, a gap of 8.4 points. That is the 60th widest gap among 62 Florida districts with four or more scored schools.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DESOTO COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL | Arcadia | High | 09-12 | 1,215 |
| DESOTO MIDDLE SCHOOL | Arcadia | Middle | 06-08 | 922 |
| MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Arcadia | Elementary | PK-05 | 861 |
| WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Arcadia | Elementary | PK-05 | 622 |
| NOCATEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Nocatee | Elementary | PK-05 | 475 |
| DESOTO SECONDARY SCHOOL | Arcadia | Combined | KG-12 | 51 |
| DESOTO VIRTUAL FRANCHISE | Arcadia | Combined | KG-12 | 10 |
| REDUCED SERVICES | Arcadia | Combined | KG-12 | 9 |
| DESOTO VIRTUAL ACADEMY | Arcadia | Combined | KG-12 | 6 |
| TEEN PARENT PK CHILD CARE PROGRAM | Arcadia | Elementary | PK-PK | 0 |
| HOSPITAL AND HOMEBOUND | Arcadia | Combined | M-M | · |
About DESOTO
Across 11 schools, DESOTO enrolls about 4,171 students in Florida. By footprint it is a small district.
For a sense of the school types, DESOTO comprises 4 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school, and 5 combined or other.
Per-school enrollment averages around 379 in this district, noticeably below the Florida typical of 705.
Trend over the past 4 years. Total public-school enrollment in DESOTO has shrank 10% since SY 2020-21, moving from about 4,614 students to 4,155. The school count fell from 9 to 7 across the same 4-year window.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for DESOTO discusses enrollment trends, district policy changes, and bus-route updates. Members of the local community share what they see day-to-day.