WEST DEFUNIAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WEST DEFUNIAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a primary school of middle-of-the-pack scale in DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Florida, overseen by WALTON, enrolling 704 students in grades K through 5.

WALTON comprises 22 schools with combined enrollment of 12,069 students; WEST DEFUNIAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is among them.

Demographically, WEST DEFUNIAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL shows that 58% of the student body identifies as White; the rest consists of 23% Hispanic, 10% Black, 8% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 84% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, The school reports having 50 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.1:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 70% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Walton County runs at roughly 47%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, WEST DEFUNIAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks in the top 10% of Florida public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 46.1%; WEST DEFUNIAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL posts 65.2%, +19.1 points above that line.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Walton County indicate median household income runs about $81,986, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. WEST DEFUNIAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of 26 public schools in Walton County (combined enrollment of about 12,069 students).

WALTON INITIATIVE FOR SUCCESS IN EDUCATION (WISE) is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts WEST DEFUNIAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 2nd of 4; the average score across the group is 57.8%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count rose 8%: 649 students in 2018 compared to 704 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share shrank from 65% to 58%. Class-load math has tightened: from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.