Walton County Leads the State in Education

Walton County ranks #1 in education across the entire state of Florida according to the Florida Policy Institute’s 2025 Child Well-Being Index.

The Florida Policy Institute (FPI) 2025 Child Well-Being Index recently ranked Walton County #1 in education. FPI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing accurate data which informs policy revision that improves the lives of all Floridians.

The Florida Policy Institute uses four criteria to assess a district's standing:

· 3 & 4 year olds not enrolled in school

· 4^th grade English Language Arts scores

· 8^th grade math scores

· Graduation rate

FPI looks at the percentage of students who are not on grade level in English Language Arts and Mathematics according to FAST (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking) test scores and combines levels 1 and 2 for their calculations. Similarly, 4^th grade English Language Arts test scores are analyzed to find how many students are not on grade level. We are In the Boat for the Goal in Walton County and understand that for one to cross the finish line all must cross the finish line. Eighth grade mathematics is calculated using the third Progress Monitoring interval, and graduation data is based on a cohort, which calculates the percentage of students who graduate within four years of their first full year of enrollment in the ninth grade.

This is the second year that Walton County has been ranked #1 by the Florida Policy Institute for its successes in education. Superintendent A. Russell Hughes reminds us that “Accolades are always wonderful, but it is important to look further to see the students, teachers, staff, and administrators who work tirelessly to create the conditions that lead to these wonderful accolades. We are fortunate to have the best students in the country here in Walton County, and a school board to match. Congratulations to all!”

Since 2017, the Walton County School District has seen unprecedented academic progressing rising to 3^rd in the State of Florida from 35^th regarding academic testing and increasing the graduation rate over 20%.

Paxton School