The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in Math. The lowest is 67% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Emerald Coast Middle School
Emerald Coast Middle School sits on US Highway 98 in Santa Rosa Beach, serving sixth through eighth graders in one of Florida's fastest-growing coastal counties. The school is a conventional public middle school within the Walton County district, not a charter or magnet program.
On the Florida state assessments, the school's results are a genuinely mixed picture depending on grade and subject. Sixth-grade math stands out as a clear strength, with a large majority of students reaching proficiency. Eighth-grade math is nearly as strong. Seventh-grade math drops considerably by comparison, though it still clears the majority threshold. In ELA, all three grades land in a moderate range, with sixth and seventh grades running close together and eighth grade a bit lower. Eighth-grade science sits roughly in the middle range of possible outcomes. Because trend data was not available, it is not possible to say whether these results are improving, stable, or declining; a parent would want to ask the school directly about trajectory, particularly in seventh-grade math and upper-grade reading.
About a third of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this well below the state average for economic disadvantage. White students make up the largest share of enrollment, with Hispanic students the next largest group. Data on students with IEPs or English learners was not reported in what was available here. The school serves roughly similar numbers of students across all three grade levels, making for a balanced distribution through the middle grades.
The housing market around Santa Rosa Beach is among the most expensive in Florida, sitting far above the state median. Home values here run more than double the statewide benchmark, and rents are also elevated. Both have edged down modestly in the past year, but the area remains a high-cost market by any Florida comparison. Families relocating should weigh that the cost of living in this community is a meaningful factor in the overall picture.
At the district level, a few things are worth knowing. The Walton County district is in a period of real enrollment growth, particularly in the south county where Santa Rosa Beach sits. The district has been acquiring land and planning new capacity in response, though a countywide infrastructure sales tax referendum was rejected by voters, leaving some growth-related pressure unresolved. Families should ask about boundary stability and capacity at any school they are considering. On the positive side, publicly reported coverage indicates that the Seacoast Collegiate High School and a Northwest Florida State College satellite campus in the Santa Rosa Beach area recently expanded, with new buildings opening and the program doubling in enrollment capacity. This means that by the time a student finishing sixth grade now reaches high school, there will be substantially more dual-enrollment and early-college options available in south Walton County, which is a real pathway advantage for families thinking ahead. A district-level half-mill operating property tax, which funds extracurriculars, technology, and competitive salaries, is also part of the picture; it requires periodic voter renewal, and incoming families would want to know where it stands when they arrive.
The locale brief for Santa Rosa Beach returned no usable web research on walkability, civic character, or major employers before the search budget was exhausted, so those dimensions are not covered here rather than guessed at.
Program offerings for the school were not available in the data provided. Civil rights outcomes data was also absent. The comparison framework flags that Walton County has only one district, so positioning Emerald Coast relative to county peers is not meaningful at this level.
What comes through clearly is a school with strong math performance at the bookend grades, moderate reading results, a relatively advantaged economic profile for a Florida public middle school, and a district that is actively managing growth while expanding post-secondary pathways for students down the road.
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