Okaloosa County has 2,072 teaching positions allocated in the school district budget – fully staffed; there would be about one teacher for every 15.44 students. In school year 2021-2022, according to The National Center for Education Statistics, the district had about 1,850 educators on staff. That is about one teacher for every 17.3 students. Both student-to-teacher ratios are far below the requirements the Florida State Constitution lays out for schools across the state (22 students per teacher for 4-8th grade classrooms and 25 students per teacher for high school classrooms). However, Niceville High School (24.68 students/teacher) and Ruckel Middle School (21.62 students/teacher) are closer to the constitution’s maximum than other schools in the Mid-Bay area or the rest of the district. 

The number of teachers in Okaloosa County, supplied by the district, includes standard classroom teachers, guidance counselors, elementary electives, band directors, psychologists, social workers, speech, and other specialties. Currently, the distrct has 49 open teacher positions around the county. that’s a vacancy rate of 2.3%. 

Statewide, there is a teacher shortage. The Florida Department of Education reported in the 2022-23 school year, students could expect ‘critical teacher shortages’ in English, Exceptional Student Education (ESE), General Science, Reading, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Math, and Physical Science. “The shortage areas above represent certification areas where substantial proportions of teachers who are not certified in the appropriate field are being hired to teach such courses, where significant vacancies exist, and where postsecondary institutions do not produce enough graduates to meet the needs of Florida’s K-12 student population,” the report added.