The Okaloosa County School District has been ranked the fourth best school district in the state of Florida, according to Niche.com’s most recent rankings report.
- Niche, an online platform that provides data-driven reviews on schools, neighborhoods and cities, gave Okaloosa County Schools an overall A grade based on a number of factors.
With 32,340 students across dozens of schools, the district ranked fourth out of 69 districts evaluated by Niche. The top-ranked district was Sarasota, followed by St. Johns and Seminole county school districts.
Niche graded Okaloosa County Schools highly for its academics (A-), diversity (A), college preparation (A) and extracurricular activities (A-). The district ranked fifth in Florida specifically for athletics programs. Additional grades include:
- Clubs & Activities: A-
- Administration: A-
- Sports: A
- Teachers: B
- Food: B-
- Resources & Facilities: B-
Okaloosa County Schools Superintendent Marcus Chambers credited the district’s teachers, students and staff for the No. 4 ranking.
- “We are proud to be notified that the Okaloosa County School District has achieved the rank of #4 in Best School Districts in Florida by Niche,” stated Superintendent Marcus Chambers. “Niche evaluates school districts based on various factors, including academic performance, teacher quality, diversity, and parent and student reviews. This recognition is a tribute to our students, teachers, staff, and administrators.”
The new accolade comes shortly after Okaloosa STEMM Academy was honored as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2023, recognizing overall academic excellence.
On its website, Niche analyzed public data and reviews on factors like test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores and teacher quality to grade and rank school districts nationwide. Data also comes from dozens of public data sources including the Department of Education, U.S. Census, and FBI.
