Clay County's student body primarily comprised of white students in 2022-23 school year

FL Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. 2023 | Commissioner of Education

By Clay County Times

Mar 14, 2024

The majority of students in Clay County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Of the 39,212 students attending Clay County schools, 57.7% were white. Black students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 17.3% of Clay County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common ethnicity in Clay County, representing 58.6% of the student body.

Florida Youth Challenge Academy had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, including 36.7% white students.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 1.6% when compared to the previous year.

Florida's choice to stick with in-person classes during the pandemic may have shielded students from significant learning setbacks. A recent Harvard study highlighted that districts heavily reliant on remote learning saw the most significant declines in student achievement amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Interestingly, gaps in math achievement by race and school poverty did not widen in school districts in states such as Texas and Florida and elsewhere that remained largely in-person, said Thomas Kane, professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Ethnicities in Clay County in 2022-23 School Year

Students' Ethnicity Percentage in Clay County Schools in 2022-23 School Year

School Name	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Amikids Clay County	White	58.3%	36
Argyle Elementary School	Black	36.8%	793
Charles E. Bennett Elementary School	White	57.5%	624
Clay Charter Academy	White	34.1%	740
Clay High School	White	69.5%	1,666
Clay Hill Elementary School	White	92.1%	442
Clay Virtual Franchise	White	64.5%	152
Coppergate Elementary School	White	60.1%	609
Discovery Oaks Elementary School	Black	36.8%	977
Doctors Inlet Elementary School	White	61.2%	580
Fleming Island Elementary School	White	68.5%	739
Fleming Island High School	White	69.6%	1,889
Florida Youth Challenge Academy	White	36.7%	30
Green Cove Springs Junior High School	White	60.3%	799
Grove Park Elementary School	Black	46.3%	445
J. L. Wilkinson Elementary School	White	84.8%	717
Keystone Heights Elementary School	White	87.1%	803
Keystone Heights Junior/Senior High School	White	87.6%	1,205
Lake Asbury Elementary School	White	73.1%	975
Lake Asbury Junior High School	White	67.7%	1,037
Lakeside Elementary School	White	54.2%	817
Lakeside Junior High School	White	61.8%	870
McRae Elementary School	White	88.6%	536
Middleburg Elementary School	White	82.7%	559
Middleburg High School	White	77.3%	1,852
Montclair Elementary School	White	55%	413
Oakleaf High School	Black	39.7%	2,371
Oakleaf Junior High School	Black	37.8%	1,118
Oakleaf Village Elementary School	White	32.7%	1,001
Orange Park Elementary School	White	73.2%	477
Orange Park High School	White	39.2%	1,810
Orange Park Junior High School	White	36%	744
Pace Center for Girls Clay	White	48.7%	39
Plantation Oaks Elementary School	Black	38%	938
R. C. Bannerman Learning Center	White	57.4%	256
Rideout Elementary School	White	65.7%	502
Ridgeview Elementary School	White	57%	588
Ridgeview High School	White	49.7%	1,828
Robert M. Paterson Elementary School	White	68%	1,117
S. Bryan Jennings Elementary School	White	29.7%	495
Shadowlawn Elementary School	White	78.6%	735
St. Johns Classical Academy	White	76.6%	845
Swimming Pen Creek Elementary School	White	62.7%	509
Thunderbolt Elementary School	White	65.3%	901
Tynes Elementary School	White	62.8%	1,021
W. E. Cherry Elementary School	White	42.9%	641
Wilkinson Junior High School	White	77.3%	752