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Mossy Head School

Q: Is Mossy Head School a good school?

Mossy Head School ranks 871 st of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

871^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 61% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Mossy Head School is a public elementary school in Defuniak Springs, FL, serving 521 students in grades PK-5 as part of the high-performing Walton County School District, which ranks in the top 15% of Florida districts.

One of the most important things to know about Mossy Head is that it serves a community where over 83% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school invests heavily in its students—spending $14,642 per pupil, which is notably higher than nearby schools like James E. Plew Elementary School in the Okaloosa district ($9,100 per student). Despite this investment, the school faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism: 29.1% of students were chronically absent in 2023-2024, far exceeding the rates at nearby Okaloosa schools like James E. Plew (12.1%) and Lula J. Edge Elementary School (15.5%). This persistent absenteeism is the single biggest obstacle to academic consistency at Mossy Head.

Academically, Mossy Head shows a clear pattern of strength in later grades, particularly in 5th-grade science where 73% of students were proficient—outperforming both the district (65%) and state (60%). However, the school struggles with a "3rd-grade slump": only 54% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA and 57% in math, well below the Walton district averages of 71% and 77%. This contrasts with West Defuniak Elementary School, which shows more consistent performance across grade levels. The good news is that Mossy Head has achieved 4-star ratings in the past, and its strong 5th-grade results prove students are capable of high achievement. The path forward likely involves tackling chronic absenteeism through community-wide efforts and providing intensive early support in reading and math to build stronger foundations in the primary grades.

521

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,642

Per pupil spending ?

83.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13270 Us Highway 90 W
Defuniak Springs, FL 32433

(850) 892-1290

District: Walton

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.7%

Hispanic:

24.4%

Two or more races:

7.1%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Mossy Head School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 66th percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Florida median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

!Near the bottom of Walton's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg72%

Florida avg62%

871^st of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 39%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 34% (2016) to top 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Walton

10^th of 70Walton 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
2026	60.0	871 of 2240	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.0	692 of 2258	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.9	721 of 2256	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.4	858 of 2240	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.3	543 of 2219	75.5%	★★★★☆
2021	76.3	507 of 2247	77.4%	★★★★☆
2019	54.8	970 of 2182	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.8	977 of 2118	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	74.0	528 of 2112	75.0%	★★★★☆
2016	65.7	702 of 2087	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	69.6	590 of 2064	71.4%	★★★★☆
2013	72.8	502 of 2029	75.3%	★★★★☆
2012	64.4	704 of 1984	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	76.5	431 of 1985	78.3%	★★★★☆
2010	70.1	571 of 1919	70.2%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Science73%+13 vs state

Math66%~ state avg

English Language Arts63%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mossy Head School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)			FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
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%)	60	871^st of 2240 public elementary schools	61.1%		68	692^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	69.4%	179	54.0	69.0	71.0	57.0	66.0	78.0	73.0	$14,642	$1,267	$13,376
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%)	74.9	509^th of 2240 public elementary schools	77.3%		65	757^th of 2258 public elementary schools	66.5%	248	75.0	60.0	75.0	73.0	67.0	80.0	80.0	$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%)	52.9	1076^th of 2240 public elementary schools	52.0%		45.1	1219^th of 2258 public elementary schools	46.0%	143	65.0	62.0	54.0	80.0	65.0	53.0	53.0	$17,391	$1,346	$16,044
Riverside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3400 E Redstone Ave	Crestview	32539	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 689-7203	1,032	57	18.1	62.9%	513 (49.7%)	202 (19.6%)	154 (14.9%)	14 (1.4%)	3 (0.3%)	5 (0.5%)	141 (13.7%)	55.4	1006^th of 2240 public elementary schools	55.1%		54.8	995^th of 2258 public elementary schools	55.9%	11	69.0	61.0	58.0	67.0	63.0	62.0	59.0	$8,734	$810	$7,924
Walker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2988 Stillwell Blvd	Crestview	32539	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 689-7220	875	50	17.5	61.6%	558 (63.8%)	118 (13.5%)	92 (10.5%)	8 (0.9%)	3 (0.3%)	11 (1.3%)	85 (9.7%)	70.1	629^th of 2240 public elementary schools	71.9%		77	474^th of 2258 public elementary schools	79.0%	155	60.0	75.0	65.0	75.0	73.0	71.0	70.0	$10,324	$946	$9,378
Southside Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	650 S Pearl St	Crestview	32539	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 689-7203	260	23	11.5	63.5%	159 (61.2%)	33 (12.7%)	31 (11.9%)	9 (3.5%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (9.6%)								(n/a)
Northwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	501 4th Ave	Crestview	32536	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 689-7252	814	48	16.9	71.4%	483 (59.3%)	133 (16.3%)	86 (10.6%)	9 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	101 (12.4%)	60.5	861^st of 2240 public elementary schools	61.6%		57.5	932^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	58.7%	71	63.0	62.0	64.0	67.0	60.0	74.0	67.0	$10,730	$1,109	$9,622
Bob Sikes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	425 Adams Dr	Crestview	32536	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 689-7268	794	41	19.3	57.1%	498 (62.7%)	91 (11.5%)	107 (13.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	7 (0.9%)	86 (10.8%)	43.6	1307^th of 2240 public elementary schools	41.7%		53.8	1017^th of 2258 public elementary schools	55.0%	290	61.0	52.0	56.0	67.0	59.0	53.0	55.0	$9,379	$861	$8,519
Antioch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4700 Whitehurst Ln	Crestview	32536	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	No	(850) 683-7540	931	56	16.6	50.4%	508 (54.6%)	115 (12.4%)	171 (18.4%)	18 (1.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (12.7%)	80.3	382^nd of 2240 public elementary schools	82.9%		78.3	444^th of 2258 public elementary schools	80.3%	62	76.0	72.0	68.0	83.0	83.0	80.0	68.0	$10,183	$399	$9,784
James E Plew Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	220 Pine Ave	Niceville	32578	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	No	(850) 833-4100	762	43	17.7	27.7%	557 (73.1%)	21 (2.8%)	89 (11.7%)	13 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	81 (10.6%)	87.9	186^th of 2240 public elementary schools	91.7%		89	195^th of 2258 public elementary schools	91.4%	9	82.0	78.0	82.0	81.0	85.0	81.0	76.0	$9,100	$279	$8,821

Frequently Asked Questions about Mossy Head School

What schools do graduates of Mossy Head School attend?

Students who attend Mossy Head 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

What district is Mossy Head School in?

Walton

Is Mossy Head School a good school?

Mossy Head School ranks 871^st of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mossy Head School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 521 students attended Mossy Head School.

What is the racial makeup of Mossy Head School?

Students at Mossy Head School are 65% White, 24% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% African American.

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Schools in Defuniak Springs, FL

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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.