The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Math. The lowest is 61% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Walton Middle School
Walton Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in DeFuniak Springs, the county seat of Walton County on Florida's Panhandle. The school sits on Bruce Avenue, a campus removed from the historic lakefront downtown rather than embedded in it, so students and families navigate the town mostly by car. DeFuniak Springs itself is a small, historically distinctive place organized around the spring-fed, nearly perfectly round Lake DeFuniak and a National Register historic district of Victorian-era homes. Publicly reported local coverage notes the town is entering a growth phase, with new subdivisions under construction, a new emergency room, airport upgrades, and housing development in the pipeline for North Walton, though the city's residential growth through recent decades has been modest compared to Walton County as a whole.
Academically, Walton Middle School's most recent state assessment results, from Florida's FAST and Statewide Science assessments, show a picture that varies by subject and grade. Math is the clearest strength: both sixth and eighth graders reached proficiency at a solid rate, and seventh graders did so at a notably higher clip, putting math generally in an encouraging position. ELA results are weaker across all three grade levels, with proficiency declining from sixth to seventh to eighth grade, and the eighth-grade ELA figure sitting meaningfully below the math numbers. Science was assessed only at eighth grade, where results landed in a moderate range. Trend data is not available given changes in Florida's assessment system, so it is not possible to say whether these numbers are improving or declining from prior years. A parent interested in how the school's reading and writing instruction progresses across the middle grades may want to raise that question directly with the school.
A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this in the higher-need range for a Florida public middle school. The student body is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group and smaller populations of Black and multiracial students. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided. The school is not a charter or magnet school and carries no Title I designation in the data on hand, though the high economic need rate is worth noting as context.
The neighbor comparison set is not informative here: Walton County has only one district, so there is no meaningful peer comparison to offer on proficiency, chronic absenteeism, or graduation rate at the school level. Graduation rate does not apply to a middle school by design.
At the district level, a few changes are worth knowing. A new Walton County Senior High School has been funded and is under construction in DeFuniak Springs, which matters for families thinking ahead to where these middle schoolers will land. The existing Walton High School moved into a new building recently, publicly reported as a significant capital addition. The district also expanded Seacoast Collegiate High School and a Northwest Florida State College satellite campus in South Walton, creating more dual-enrollment opportunity for Walton County high schoolers, though that campus is in the south county rather than near DeFuniak Springs. A voter-approved half-mill operating property tax funds programs, technology, and staff salaries; this requires periodic renewal and would affect property owners in the district.
Housing near the school comes in well below Florida's statewide median home value and also below the national median, making DeFuniak Springs a relatively affordable entry point compared to coastal Walton County communities. Values have been roughly flat year-over-year. Rental index data was not available for this specific area. Mortgage rates currently sit in the mid-six-percent range nationally, which shapes the monthly carrying cost for buyers at any price point.
DeFuniak Springs offers a walkable historic core around the lake, a compact downtown with shops and restaurants, a library that is publicly reported as the oldest continuously operating in its original building in Florida, and outdoor amenities including the lakefront park, a birding trail designation, and access to the Florida National Scenic Trail. The town has no meaningful public transit system noted in available sources, so car dependence is the practical reality for most families.
See more original research from School Decision →