Walton Initiative For Success In Education (Wise)

Walton Initiative For Success In Education (Wise) is an alternative public school serving grades PK-12 in Defuniak Springs, Florida, with an enrollment of 247 students. The school is part of the Walton District, which is ranked 8th out of 67 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Wise has consistently high 4-year graduation rates, ranging from 88% to 97.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. However, the school's students generally perform below the Walton district and state averages on standardized tests across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025 projections, Wise had only 14% proficiency in Algebra 1 compared to 74% for the Walton district and 60% for the state. Wise also has relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 24.3% to 67.7% in recent years, which is notably higher than the 31.4% rate at the nearby Paxton School.

Interestingly, Wise spends significantly more per student, ranging from $20,367 to $26,141 in recent years, compared to $15,902 at Paxton School. Wise also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 9.3 to 11.6, compared to 15.3 at Paxton School. These factors suggest that Wise is allocating more resources towards its students, despite the school's challenges in academic achievement and chronic absenteeism.