Public Schools — Tallahassee, Florida

Leon County Schools serves Tallahassee through 43 campuses spanning elementary through adult education, with magnet programs in STEM, arts, and law.

District at a Glance

Leon County Schools is the public school district serving Tallahassee and the broader Leon County area. As documented by U.S. News Education drawing on NCES Common Core of Data through the 2023-24 school year, the district enrolls 31,769 students across 56 schools, with a minority enrollment share of 70 percent and an economically disadvantaged rate of 33.6 percent. The district operates under the governance of the Leon County School Board and a superintendent, with day-to-day management of schools at the building level overseen by appointed principals.

As of May 1, 2026, the Leon County Schools official website documents a system organized around school choice, career pathways, and magnet programming, alongside a conventional neighborhood school structure. The district's scale and demographic composition reflect Tallahassee's broader characteristics: a large student-age population, significant economic diversity, and proximity to the state capital's governmental and higher-education employment base.

Total Enrollment
31,769
U.S. News / NCES CCD, 2023-24
Total Schools
56
U.S. News / NCES CCD, 2023-24
Minority Enrollment
70%
U.S. News / NCES CCD, 2023-24
Economically Disadvantaged
33.6%
U.S. News / NCES CCD, 2023-24
2025-26 Budget
$645 million
Tallahassee Reports, 2025
Tax Revenue (2025-26)
$156.5 million
Tallahassee Reports, 2025

Schools and Grade Structure

According to the Leon County Schools schools directory and NCES district data, as of May 1, 2026, the district operates 22 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 6 high schools, 2 K-8 schools, 3 special sites, and 2 adult and technical schools. This configuration reflects a traditional grade-band structure supplemented by combined-grade campuses and specialized facilities for adult learners and career-technical education.

Among the high schools, Leon High School is led by principal Scotty Crowe for the 2025-26 school year, while SAIL High School — a specialized academic program — is led by principal Sarah Hembree, both confirmed by Tallahassee Reports in May 2025. At the middle school level, Logan Crouch was recommended as principal of Cobb Middle School and Kerri Lamar-Anderson as principal of Griffin Middle School for the 2025-26 year, according to the same report. Additional principal appointments for the 2025-26 school year were detailed by Here Tallahassee and the district website.

The K-8 configuration serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade at a single campus, a structure that Leon County Schools maintains at two sites within the district. The three special sites and the two adult and technical schools serve students with distinct educational needs or career-focused post-secondary goals, rounding out the district's full continuum from early childhood through adult education.

Magnet and Specialized Programs

Leon County Schools maintains a school choice framework built around magnet programs with thematic focuses, as documented on the district magnet program page. Magnet themes include arts and STEM at the elementary and middle school levels, with specialized academies offered at both middle and high school campuses.

Sabal Palm Technology and Robotics Elementary is described by Leon County Schools as the district's newest magnet program, serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade with a curriculum centered on technology integration and robotics. At the middle school level, Griffin Middle School hosts an Information Technology magnet strand, and Nims Middle School houses the Academy of Legal Studies, which introduces students to legal reasoning and civic systems as early as sixth grade.

SAIL High School — the School for Arts and Innovative Learning — represents the district's secondary-level specialized academic offering. The school maintained an A grade from the Florida Department of Education in the 2024-25 school year, as detailed in the following section. The magnet and specialized program structure is embedded within the district's broader open enrollment policy, which allows families to apply to programs outside their zoned school, as described on the Leon County Schools website.

School Performance Grades

The Florida Department of Education released school grades for the 2024-25 academic year in July 2025. According to reporting by WCTV and the Florida DOE School Grades Results Packet, Sabal Palm Elementary — the district's technology and robotics magnet — improved from a D to an A, one of the most dramatic single-year gains documented for a Leon County campus. Ruediger Elementary also advanced substantially, moving from a C to an A in the same cycle.

Multiple Leon County schools maintained A grades in the 2024-25 results, including Buck Lake Elementary, Chiles High School, Deerlake Middle School, DeSoto Trail Elementary, Gilchrist Elementary, Hawks Rise Elementary, Killearn Lakes Elementary, Roberts Elementary, SAIL High School, Swift Creek Middle School, and Montford Middle School. The district also recorded no F-rated schools for the sixth consecutive year as of the 2024-25 ratings, a benchmark cited in the WCTV coverage of the results.

The Florida DOE school grading system evaluates schools on student achievement in English language arts and mathematics, learning gains, and additional indicators depending on grade level. The sustained presence of multiple A-rated campuses across elementary, middle, and high school levels in Leon County reflects performance patterns documented across several consecutive grading cycles.

Budget and Recent Developments

Leon County Schools adopted a $645 million budget for the 2025-26 school year in July 2025, as reported by Tallahassee Reports. The adopted budget set a total millage rate of 5.366 mills and projected $156.5 million in tax revenue. During the same period, the district implemented a $7.5 million transfer from capital outlay reserves to the general fund to address operating shortfalls, a fiscal maneuver reported by WCTV in February 2026 in the context of potential $7 million in budget reductions.

As of May 1, 2026, Leon County Schools was drafting a millage referendum for the November 2026 ballot that would increase the ad valorem rate by 1 mill, according to WTXL. The proposed increase is projected to generate between $24 million and $26 million annually, with stated purposes including teacher compensation, school safety enhancements, and staff retention. A successful referendum would require voter approval at the November 2026 general election.

The budget and referendum discussions occur against the backdrop of principal transitions at multiple campuses for the 2025-26 school year. Superintendent Rocky Hanna's recommendations for new principals, documented in May 2025 by Tallahassee Reports, included placements at Leon High School, SAIL High School, Cobb Middle School, and Griffin Middle School, among other sites, signaling administrative continuity efforts concurrent with the district's fiscal planning cycle.

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs Used for: Population (199,696), median age (28), median household income ($55,931), median home value ($276,000), poverty rate (23.2%), unemployment rate (6.4%), renter-occupied pct (60.5%), owner-occupied pct (39.5%), median gross rent ($1,238), bachelor's degree attainment (28.3%), total housing units (95,116)
  2. Tallahassee officially became the capital of the territory of Florida — Florida Historical Society https://myfloridahistory.org/date-in-history/march-04-1824/tallahassee-officially-became-capital-territory-florida Used for: March 4, 1824 formal designation as territorial capital; prior division of Florida into East and West colonies under British rule
  3. Tallahassee, Florida — Advisory Council on Historic Preservation https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/community/tallahassee-florida Used for: City founding in 1824 as capital of territorial Florida; Mission San Luis as National Historic Landmark; Tallahassee-Leon County Historic Preservation Awards since 1987
  4. Why Tallahassee? The Story Behind Selecting Florida's State Capital — Florida Heritage Foundation https://www.flheritage.org/post/why-tallahassee-the-story-behind-selecting-florida-s-state-capital Used for: 1824 territorial legislature first session in Tallahassee; city described as frontier outpost at founding
  5. Office of Institutional Research — Florida State University https://ir.fsu.edu/facts.aspx Used for: FSU fall 2024 total enrollment of 44,308; campus locations including Panama City and Panama Republic branches
  6. Florida State University 2024-2025 Pocket Fact Book https://ir.fsu.edu/pocketfactbooks/2024-25%20Pocket%20Fact%20Book.pdf Used for: FSU total enrollment 44,308 fall 2024; FSU history as Florida Female College and Florida State College for Women; co-educational return in 1947
  7. Florida State University — U.S. News Best Colleges https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/florida-state-university-1489 Used for: FSU undergraduate enrollment 32,720 (fall 2024); campus size 486 acres; student-faculty ratio 17:1
  8. Florida State's Economic Impact — Florida State University https://economic-impact.fsu.edu/ Used for: FSU average biweekly payroll $34,944,881 (FY2023); FSU as Tallahassee's top electricity user; National High Magnetic Field Laboratory as Florida's only national laboratory
  9. About FAMU — Florida A&M University https://www.famu.edu/about-famu/index.php Used for: FAMU enrollment of nearly 10,000 students from U.S. and 70+ countries; satellite campuses in Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami, Crestview
  10. Florida A&M University — U.S. News Best Colleges https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/florida-am-university-1480 Used for: FAMU undergraduate enrollment 7,890 (fall 2024); campus size 422 acres; student-faculty ratio 15:1
  11. Tallahassee Community College / Tallahassee State College — NCES IPEDS Data Feedback Report 2024 https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/dfr/2024/ReportHTML.aspx?unitId=137759 Used for: Institutional data for Tallahassee State College (formerly Tallahassee Community College)
  12. Tallahassee State College — Student Population and Demographics (sourced from NCES IPEDS) https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/edu/137759/tallahassee-community-college/enrollment/ Used for: TSC total enrollment of 12,455 for academic year 2024-2025
  13. Leon County Schools — Official District Website https://www.leonschools.net/ Used for: District overview; magnet programs in STEM, arts, pre-AP; school choice open enrollment; career pathways programs
  14. Leon County Schools — Magnet Program Overview https://www.leonschools.net/magnetprograms Used for: LCS magnet programs focused on arts and STEM themes; school choice structure
  15. Leon County Schools — Middle Schools Programs Overview https://www.leonschools.net/middle-schools-programs Used for: Middle school magnet offerings including Pre-AP, Information Technology (Griffin Middle), Academy of Legal Studies (Nims Middle)
  16. Leon County Schools — Sabal Palm Technology and Robotics Elementary Magnet School https://www.leonschools.net/sabal-palm-elementary Used for: Sabal Palm Technology and Robotics Elementary described as Leon County's newest magnet program (K-5)
  17. Leon County Schools — U.S. News Education (sourced from NCES CCD 2021-22 through 2023-24) https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/florida/districts/leon-104456 Used for: LCS district size: 56 schools, 31,769 students; minority enrollment 70%; economically disadvantaged 33.6%
  18. Occupational Employment and Wages in Tallahassee, FL — May 2024, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeast/news-release/occupationalemploymentandwages_tallahassee.htm Used for: Mean hourly wage $27.99 (May 2024); tax examiners at 10.55x national rate; management analysts at 5.59x national rate
  19. DataTALKS — Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality https://oevforbusiness.org/data-center/datatalks/ Used for: 19,000+ healthcare/social services workers in metro area; 8% projected 2024-2029 healthcare sector growth; 65,000 total higher ed enrollees in Leon County; FSU+FAMU = 80% of Leon County higher ed
  20. About the City Commission — City of Tallahassee https://www.talgov.com/cityleadership/city-commission Used for: Council-manager government structure; City Commission as primary legislative body; mayor's role and powers
  21. City Leadership — City of Tallahassee https://www.talgov.com/cityleadership/CityLeadership Used for: Current city leadership structure; Mayor John Dailey
  22. Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad announces resignation — WCTV https://www.wctv.tv/2026/04/28/tallahassee-city-manager-reese-goad-announces-resignation-after-more-than-31-years-public-service/ Used for: City Manager Reese Goad resignation announcement April 2026; effective September 30 or upon successor selection; Commissioner Matlow and Mayor Dailey commentary
  23. Tallahassee City Commission Meeting Briefs: February 12, 2025 — Tallahassee Reports https://tallahasseereports.com/2025/02/17/tallahassee-city-commission-meeting-briefs-february-12-2025/ Used for: Resolution No. 25-R-06 authorizing eminent domain for FAMU Way Phase IV; Ordinance No. 25-Z-06 zoning amendment for 10.3 acres south of I-10
  24. Capital Improvement Plan Fiscal Year 2025-2029 — City of Tallahassee (via OpenGov) https://stories.opengov.com/tallahasseefl/published/oOjzKULM7 Used for: Five-Year CIP totaling over $1.1 billion; new Public Safety Campus; Fire Station 17 on Lake Bradford Road
  25. Tallahassee — Britannica https://www.britannica.com/place/Tallahassee Used for: Springtime Tallahassee as annual month-long March-April event commemorating founding; Museum of Florida History; Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science; incorporated 1825
Last updated: May 1, 2026