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Emerald Coast Middle School

Q: Is Emerald Coast Middle School a good school?

Emerald Coast Middle School ranks 230 th of 1205 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

230^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,205 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 81% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Emerald Coast Middle School is a public middle school in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, serving 872 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the highly-ranked Walton School District, which is rated 8th out of 67 districts in the state.

Emerald Coast Middle School consistently performs among the top 20% of middle schools in Florida, with students outperforming state and district averages in standardized tests across subjects like Algebra 1, Geometry, Civics, Science, and English Language Arts. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 90% of Emerald Coast students were proficient or better in Algebra 1 and Geometry, compared to 74% and 76% for the Walton district, and 60% and 55% for the state of Florida, respectively. The school's strong academic performance may be attributed to its relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 17.7 to 19.2 over the past three years.

However, Emerald Coast Middle School has seen a concerning rise in chronic absenteeism, increasing from 13.4% in 2021-2022 to 31.4% in 2023-2024. This trend warrants further investigation and targeted interventions to address the underlying causes. Interestingly, Emerald Coast outperforms the nearby Destin Middle School and Freeport Middle School in several academic metrics, though these schools also demonstrate strong academic performances within the Okaloosa School District.

872

Students ?

18.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,937

Per pupil spending ?

26%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4019 Us Highway 98e
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

(850) 622-5025

District: Walton

Feeder schools for Emerald Coast Middle School:

Elementary:	Dune Lakes Elementary School
	Freeport Elementary School
	Maude Saunders Elementary School
	Mossy Head School
	More...
	Van R. Butler Elementary School
	West Defuniak Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.0%

Hispanic:

21.2%

Two or more races:

4.0%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Emerald Coast Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2014 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (75% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Florida middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school75%

District avg71%

Florida avg58%

230^th of 1,205

Florida public middle schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From top 12% (2016) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle 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	78.0	230 of 1205	80.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.4	254 of 1196	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	79.0	210 of 1177	82.2%	★★★★☆
2022	81.4	188 of 1148	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	82.0	165 of 1136	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	82.5	174 of 1099	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	85.5	136 of 1035	86.9%	★★★★☆
2017	86.5	126 of 1031	87.8%	★★★★☆
2016	85.8	119 of 997	88.1%	★★★★☆
2014	87.0	96 of 999	90.4%	★★★★★
2013	80.1	162 of 956	83.1%	★★★★☆
2012	81.2	143 of 897	84.1%	★★★★☆
2011	86.3	93 of 891	89.6%	★★★★☆
2010	84.9	92 of 839	89.0%	★★★★☆
2009	86.6	77 of 780	90.1%	★★★★★
2008	81.7	114 of 740	84.6%	★★★★☆
2007	79.5	124 of 736	83.2%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Geometry90%+35 vs state

Algebra 190%+30 vs state

Civics85%+14 vs state

Math79%+23 vs state

English Language Arts68%+11 vs state

Science67%+18 vs state

4.0

1 rating

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Schools Near Emerald Coast Middle 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)		EOC Algebra 1 (2025)	EOC Geometry (2025)	EOC Civics (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 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Emerald Coast Middle School	Public	6-8	4019 Us Highway 98e	Santa Rosa Beach	32459	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	No	(850) 622-5025	872	48	18.0	26.0%	593 (68.0%)	34 (3.9%)	185 (21.2%)	16 (1.8%)	6 (0.7%)	3 (0.3%)	35 (4.0%)	78	230^th of 1205 public middle schools	80.9%		75.4	254^th of 1196 public middle schools	78.8%	24		72.0	71.0	62.0		86.0	59.0	82.0		67.0	90.0	90.0	85.0	$11,937	$252	$11,686
Freeport Middle School	Public	5-8	160 Victory Blvd	Freeport	32439	Walton County	Walton	No	No	No	No	(850) 892-1220	790	46	17.1	45.8%	519 (65.7%)	27 (3.4%)	188 (23.8%)	16 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (4.7%)	75	274^th of 1205 public middle schools	77.3%		69.2	339^th of 1196 public middle schools	71.7%	65	59.0	65.0	67.0	70.0	55.0	73.0	72.0	75.0	63.0	69.0	85.0	100.0	86.0	$12,145	$360	$11,786
Destin Middle School	Public	5-8	4608 Legendary Marina Dr	Destin	32541	Okaloosa County	Okaloosa	No	No	No	No	(850) 833-7655	799	41	19.4	43.8%	529 (66.2%)	33 (4.1%)	152 (19.0%)	33 (4.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (6.0%)	79.1	218^th of 1205 public middle schools	81.9%		79.7	206^th of 1196 public middle schools	82.8%	12	75.0	74.0	69.0	71.0	80.0	72.0	84.0	61.0	69.0	67.0	93.0	97.0	85.0	$9,372	$187	$9,186

Frequently Asked Questions about Emerald Coast Middle School

Is Emerald Coast Middle School a good school?

Emerald Coast Middle School ranks 230^th of 1205 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Emerald Coast Middle School in?

Walton

How many students attend Emerald Coast Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 872 students attended Emerald Coast Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Emerald Coast Middle School attend?

Students who attend Emerald Coast Middle School usually go on to attend Freeport Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Emerald Coast Middle School?

Students at Emerald Coast Middle School are 68% White, 21% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Asian.

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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.