Walton County School District Tied for No. 2 Ranking Among Florida's 67 Districts
Walton County School District has tied for the No. 2 ranking among Florida’s 67 school districts, marking its eighth consecutive year as an A-rated district and cementing its position as one of the state’s top-performing school systems.
The Florida Department of Education released school and district grades for the 2024-2025 academic year this week, and Walton County emerged as a standout. The district not only maintained its A rating but also tied for second place statewide based on total points earned in the state’s accountability model. Walton County is one of only 28 districts in Florida to receive an A grade this cycle and one of just nine districts where every school earned either an A or a B.
“We are so proud; we have been an A school district since 2017,” said Holly Tew, Deputy Superintendent of Walton County School District, in an interview with WJHG Newschannel 7. “All of our schools are either an A or a B. We were one of only nine districts in the state of Florida that can say that.”
The district credits the sustained trajectory to Superintendent A. Russell Hughes, who was named Florida’s 2024 Superintendent of the Year by the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. Hughes, now in his ninth year leading the district, has focused on closing achievement gaps, mining student data for missed opportunities, and pushing schools to extract every possible point from the state’s grading formula. His approach has filtered through every level of the system, from district leadership down to individual school principals.
Darlene Paul, principal of West DeFuniak Elementary School, described the process as a year-long chain that begins with the superintendent setting a vision at the start of each school year and then cascading through school-level goals into classroom instruction. Walton High School Principal Brianna Leavins pointed to her staff’s relentless relationship-building with students as the engine behind the school’s results. “Our staff is the best in the county,” Leavins said. “They work around the clock to make sure students know their potential.”
The district’s performance also has a recruiting effect. According to the Florida Department of Education, the average teacher salary in Walton County now exceeds $69,000 — a figure district leaders say helps attract strong educators to the Panhandle. “Iron sharpens iron,” Tew said. “When you are an elite district, and you are doing amazing, epic things, others are drawn to that success.”
For Freeport families, the ranking carries direct significance. Freeport Elementary School and Freeport Middle School fall under the district’s umbrella, and the district-wide A rating means local students are attending schools that rank among the best in the state. Walton County leaders say they are not settling for No. 2 and will continue chasing the top spot.
Originally reported by WJHG Newschannel 7, Walton County School District, and Walton Now.
