Nature Coast Times

There were 671 Black students enrolled in Citrus County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 2.1% increase from the 657 Black students in the previous school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Citrus County welcomed a total of 15,889 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 4.2% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 25 schools in Citrus County, Lecanto High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 90 students, making up 5.1% of the school's total student body.

Gov. DeSantis has approved an education budget of over $28 billion for the 2024-25 school year. The new budget includes more than $1 billion earmarked exclusively for teacher salaries to better address the teacher shortage the state faces.

A 2024 WalletHub study ranked Florida 49th in the nation for teacher salaries when adjusted for cost of living, making it one of the lowest in the U.S.

School name	% of Black Students Enrolment	Total Enrollment
Lecanto High School	5.1%	1,763
Citrus High School	3.2%	1,486
Crystal River High School	4.7%	1,312
Inverness Middle School	4.7%	1,007
Crystal River Middle School	5.2%	911
Citrus Springs Elementary School	6.1%	856
Lecanto Primary School	1.6%	811
Lecanto Middle School	2.1%	797
Citrus Springs Middle School	5.7%	793
Hernando Elementary School	4.6%	785
Central Ridge Elementary School	6.2%	764
Inverness Primary School	4.2%	698
Forest Ridge Elementary School	3.6%	698
Crystal River Primary School	3.9%	667
Rock Crusher Elementary School	2.8%	645
Pleasant Grove Elementary School	2.8%	633
Cypress Creek Treatment Center	82.5%	63