MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL

MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of the medium-sized middle schools in FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida, operated by OKALOOSA, with 677 students on its rolls from grades 6 through 8.

OKALOOSA comprises 49 schools with combined enrollment of 32,120 students; MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL shows that 38% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest reads as 29% Hispanic, 19% Black, 11% multiracial, 3% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 72% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school currently runs with 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 18.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 19.6:1 average. About 66% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is higher than Okaloosa County's rate of about 50%.

With demographic context factored in, MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 47.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 55.3%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Okaloosa County shows median household earnings sit near $81,998, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Okaloosa County runs 51 public schools (combined enrollment of about 32,120 students), of which MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL is one.

SILVER SANDS-EXCEP. CHILDREN is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, below the local average of 57.2%.

The school occupies a downtown site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 16%: 806 students in 2018 compared to 677 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 11% to 29%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 19.7:1 in 2018 to 18.3:1 today.

On the community side, the feed for MAX BRUNER JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.