• Walton and Santa Rosa were listed as the two best counties in the state for child education, according to the Florida Policy Institution’s 2022 Child Well-Being Index 
• All 67 counties in Florida were measured by a series of education metrics including 3 and 4-year-old school enrollment, 4th-grade English Language Arts proficiency, 8th-grade math proficiency, and high school graduation rates
• Wakulla, Seminole, and Monroe round out the top five counties
• The bottom five counties include Franklin, Hardee, Washington, Suwanee, and DeSoto

Walton and Santa Rosa counties earned the top two spots for child education, respectively, in the Florida Policy Institution’s 2022 Child Well-Being Index.

All 67 counties in Florida were measured by a series of education metrics including 3 and 4-year-old school enrollment, 4th-grade English Language Arts proficiency, 8th-grade math proficiency, and high school graduation rates.

According to Florida Policy Institution data, Walton County reports that 28 percent of 3 and 4-year-olds are not enrolled in school, 69 percent of 4th-grade students are not proficient in English Language Arts, 73 percent of 8th-grade students not reaching mathematic proficiency, and recorded a 91.6 percent high school graduation rate.

For comparison, nearby Franklin County — the state’s lowest-rated county for education, according to the index — has 62 percent of 3 and 4-year-olds not enrolled in school, 93 percent of 4th-grade students not reaching proficiency in English Language Arts, 98 percent of 8th-grade students failing mathematics benchmarks, and a 74.4 percent high school graduation rate.

For Walton County, the high school graduation rate and percentage of 3 and 4-year-olds enrolled in school is a marked improvement over baseline assessments done five years prior.

“Counties with higher rankings tend to be well-resourced places, where families can afford to invest in things like high-quality child care, education, and other opportunities for their children,” states the report.

Santa Rosa County is recorded as having 63.6 percent of applicable 3 and 4-year-olds not enrolled in school, while 62 percent of 4th-graders did not reach English proficiency. 59 percent of Santa Rosa’s 8th-grade students are not mathematically proficient, and its high school graduation rate is 90.3 percent.

Santa Rosa County placed high in the state rankings due in part to its improvement in three core metrics (4th-grade reading, 8th-grade math, and the high school graduation rate) compared to five years ago.

The bottom five counties include Franklin, Hardee, Washington, Suwanee, and DeSoto.

“Counties with lower rankings tend to be places that have borne the brunt of the state’s disinvestment in public services and where people face historic barriers to economic opportunity.”

Wakulla, Seminole, and Monroe round out the top five counties.