Putnam County
Putnam County is a public school district based in Palatka, Florida, serving 10,083 students in 19 schools. By enrollment it ranks #39 of the 66 Florida districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 42% of them. Its schools average 531 students each, about the same as the Florida median of 572. Its superintendent is Dr. Rick Surrency. It spends about $10,893 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 20.7 students per teacher.
How Putnam County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Putnam County | Florida median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $10,893 | $10,483 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $5,991 | $5,885 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $116.3 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $122.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 488 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 1,374 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 20.7 | 17.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 560 | 428 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Florida median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr. Rick Surrency
Source: Florida Department of Education, Superintendents, checked 2026-10-04. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in Florida
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walton CountyDefuniak Springs | 12,007 | 21 | $10,970 | 14.8 | #38 |
| Putnam CountyPalatka · this district | 10,083 | 19 | $10,893 | 20.7 | #39 |
| Sumter CountyBushnell | 10,013 | 14 | $10,902 | 15.4 | #40 |
| Columbia CountyLake City | 9,508 | 18 | $9,780 | 18.1 | #41 |
| Monroe CountyKey West | 8,928 | 25 | $14,821 | 17.1 | #42 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agua Fria Union High School District (4289)Avondale, AZ | 10,089 | $9,415 | 20.9 |
| OrangeburgOrangeburg, SC | 10,089 | $13,747 | 13.8 |
| Milpitas UnifiedMilpitas, CA | 10,086 | $12,354 | 23.0 |
| Clint ISDEl Paso, TX | 10,077 | $11,716 | 15.4 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-fl-putnam-county