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West Defuniak Elementary School

Q: Is West Defuniak Elementary School a good school?

West Defuniak Elementary School ranks 757 th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

757^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 66% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

West Defuniak Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 699 students in grades K-5 in Defuniak Springs, Florida, which is part of the highly-ranked Walton School District. While the school generally performs above the state average in standardized test scores, particularly in math and science, it lags behind the district average in many subjects and has seen a concerning rise in chronic absenteeism.

With 64.6% to 70.7% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch over the past few years, West Defuniak Elementary serves a more economically disadvantaged population compared to other schools in the Walton district, such as Freeport Elementary and Mossy Head School. However, the school's performance still outpaces that of Ponce De Leon Elementary in the neighboring Holmes district.

Addressing the high chronic absenteeism rate and continuing to invest in the school's resources could help drive further improvements in student outcomes at West Defuniak Elementary. While the school faces some challenges, its overall performance within the high-achieving Walton district suggests it is a moderately performing institution with room for growth.

704

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,729

Per pupil spending ?

70%

Free/discounted lunch ?

815 Lincoln Ave
Defuniak Springs, FL 32435

(850) 892-1250

District: Walton

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.1%

Hispanic:

23.2%

African American:

9.9%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare West Defuniak Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2014 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (63% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Above the Florida median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2014

!Near the bottom of Walton's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg69%

Florida avg58%

757^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 34%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Walton

8^th of 67Walton among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	65.0	757 of 2258	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.8	554 of 2256	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	75.7	491 of 2240	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	67.0	688 of 2219	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.8	586 of 2247	73.9%	★★★★☆
2019	61.7	802 of 2182	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.5	747 of 2118	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.7	772 of 2112	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	66.5	690 of 2087	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.9	608 of 2064	70.5%	★★★★☆
2013	61.5	760 of 2029	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.6	916 of 1984	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.2	618 of 1985	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.2	766 of 1919	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.9	901 of 1847	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.9	645 of 1789	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.4	800 of 1786	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.4	722 of 1688	57.2%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Math66%+6 vs state

Science66%+11 vs state

English Language Arts60%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Defuniak Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)			FAST Math (2025)			Statewide Science Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Defuniak Elementary School	Public	K-5	815 Lincoln Ave	Defuniak Springs	32435	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 892-1250	704	50	14.0	70.0%	409 (58.1%)	70 (9.9%)	163 (23.2%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (7.7%)	65	757^th of 2258 public elementary schools	66.5%		73.8	554^th of 2256 public elementary schools	75.4%	203	52.0	66.0	61.0	68.0	64.0	67.0	66.0	$14,729	$1,138	$13,590
Maude Saunders Elementary School	Public	K-5	416 John Baldwin Rd	Defuniak Springs	32433	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 892-1260	554	46	12.1	82.7%	306 (55.2%)	73 (13.2%)	117 (21.1%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	50 (9.0%)	45.1	1219^th of 2258 public elementary schools	46.0%		39.5	1356^th of 2256 public elementary schools	39.9%	137	66.0	52.0	46.0	71.0	59.0	41.0	41.0	$17,391	$1,346	$16,044
Ponce De Leon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1473 Ammons Rd	Ponce De Leon	32455	Holmes County	Holmes	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 836-4296	272	20	13.6	71.3%	255 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.7%)	30.5	1625^th of 2258 public elementary schools	28.0%		29.4	1636^th of 2256 public elementary schools	27.5%	11	47.0	58.0	33.0	50.0	50.0	43.0	46.0	$12,234	$1,208	$11,026
Mossy Head School	Public	PK, KG-5	13270 Us Highway 90 W	Defuniak Springs	32433	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 892-1290	521	35	15.0	83.7%	337 (64.7%)	14 (2.7%)	127 (24.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (7.1%)	68	692^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	69.4%		65.9	721^st of 2256 public elementary schools	68.0%	29	61.0	59.0	66.0	69.0	76.0	71.0	56.0	$14,642	$1,267	$13,376
Freeport Elementary School	Public	K-4	160 Victory Blvd	Freeport	32439	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 892-1210	1,120	73	15.3	52.5%	766 (68.4%)	35 (3.1%)	242 (21.6%)	15 (1.3%)	11 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (4.5%)	71.2	605^th of 2258 public elementary schools	73.2%		73.7	555^th of 2256 public elementary schools	75.4%	50	67.0	68.0		75.0	63.0			$13,180	$838	$12,342

Frequently Asked Questions about West Defuniak Elementary School

Is West Defuniak Elementary School a good school?

West Defuniak Elementary School ranks 757^th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend West Defuniak Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 704 students attended West Defuniak Elementary School.

What district is West Defuniak Elementary School in?

Walton

What is the racial makeup of West Defuniak Elementary School?

Students at West Defuniak Elementary School are 58% White, 23% Hispanic, 10% African American, 8% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of West Defuniak Elementary School attend?

Students who attend West Defuniak Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Emerald Coast Middle School
Middle : Freeport Middle School
Middle : Walton Middle School
High : Freeport Senior High School
High : South Walton High School
High : Walton High School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.