K-12

Northeast Florida is home to some of the best schools in the country, including Stanton College Prep and Paxon High School, which were ranked second and third best high schools in the nation by Newsweek in 2006. Four area schools made the list of "America's Best High Schools" and Duval County was the only school district to have two schools ranked in the Top Ten.

There are more than 200,500 students, 11,600 teachers, 8,600 support staff and 291 schools in the seven counties that make up Northeast Florida. All have earned accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. More information on each of the counties' public schools can be obtained by phone or from their Web sites. For a comparison of schools and school districts on a variety of criteria, view Florida School Indicators Reports at the Florida Department of Education's Web site.

Public Schools
Each year more than 225,000 students attend nearly 300 award-winning schools throughout Northeast Florida, ranging in size from the 20th largest school system in the nation with 124,000 students to small-town education systems with as little as 4,900 students.

For a child to enroll in kindergarten, the State of Florida requires that the child be five years old on or before Sept. 1. All children who will be 6 years old by Feb. 1 must be enrolled. Students are required to stay in school until the age of 16. To register your child for public school, you must provide the following:

• Certified birth certificate (for kindergarten and first grade)
  
• Florida certification of immunization (DH form 680) or exemption
  (Form 681)
  – Four or more doses of DPT vaccine
  – Three or more doses of TOPV-polio vaccine
  – MMR vaccine given after the first birthday with the recorded date
  – A second MMR vaccine for students entering grades 7-12
  – A recent tetanus diphtheria booster for students entering grades 7-12
  – Hepatitis B vaccine series for students entering grades 7-12
  
• Certification of school entry health examination completed within one year of the date of enrollment
  
• Social Security number
  
• Two documents showing proof of residence
  
• Latest report card, if student was enrolled in another district
  

About Duval County
With approximately 130,000 students, 8,744 teachers and more than 160 schools, Duval County Public Schools is the largest school system in Northeast Florida and the 20th largest in the United States. Six area schools made the list of “America’s Best High Schools” and Duval County was the only school district in the country to have two schools ranked in the top 30. Stanton College Preparatory and Paxon High School were ranked fifth and 28th best high schools in the nation by Newsweek in 2006. Six Duval County schools were named among the 2005 Top 100 schools in Florida by former Gov. Jeb Bush and Education Commissioner John Winn.

More than 20,000 students are enrolled in Duval County’s Magnet Program, which offers enhanced curriculum at more than 70 schools. There are nearly 30 specialized themes, including communications, aviation, computers/technology, engineering, and visual and performing arts. This year the Magnet Program was named a national example of success and earned a $9.37 million federal grant. The new Inspirations Magnet Program was launched in 2006 at seven local schools. These schools offer diverse programs such as I.B. programs, Montessori & Spanish Immersion and math, science and pre-engineering. Learn more about Duval County Schools at www.educationcentral.org.

Together the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce and Duval County Public Schools are working to redesign high schools. Integral components in this change are Small Learning Communities and Career Academies. Career Academies offer career preparation in the First Coast’s targeted industries such as health sciences, information technology, aviation and aerospace, logistics and manufacturing, finance and insurance services, and electronics. By 2010, it is expected that each high school will have at least one Career Academy. By emphasizing college-ready academics, relevant skills and exposure to actual work environments before graduation, Career Academies give students a head start on their chosen career field through internships, mentoring programs, job shadowing, certification programs and more, setting the stage for lifelong learning.

About St. Johns County
In 2007 SchoolMatch® named the St. Johns County School District in the top 14 percent of schools in the nation for “What Parents Want” in public schools for the second year in a row. In addition, St. Johns County was a recipient of Expansion Management's Blue Ribbon Award, rating it in the top 33 percent of all school districts nationwide. St. Johns County has 36 schools and more than 24,000 students. All St. Johns County schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and 20 received “STAR” (Schools Taking Action to Reform) recognition. Learn more about St. Johns County Schools at www.stjohns.k12.fl.us.

About Clay County
Expansion Management gave the Clay County School District a “Blue Ribbon,” rating it in the top 29 percent of all school districts nationwide in its 2006 Education Quotient Rankings. In addition, all schools in Clay County are recognized as “Golden and/or Silver Schools” by the State of Florida for community involvement. Clay County is among the top five districts in Florida in third grade reading and math scores on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT). The school district serves more than 36,000 students and 37 schools. Junior and senior high schools in Clay County offer vocational and technical programs including engineering and drafting, television and Web production, agriculture, health careers, business technology and more. Learn more about Clay County Schools at www.clay.k12.fl.us.

About Nassau County
The Nassau County school district has been designated an “A” school district through students’ performance on the FCAT and the governor’s A+ plan for the past four years. Twelve of Nassau County’s 16 schools received the Golden School Award for the 2005-2006 school year. Five schools in the Nassau County district received “STAR” recognition from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). They serve more than 10,000 students. Learn more about Nassau County Schools at www.nassaucountyschools.org.

About Putnam County
Putnam County Schools pride themselves on active community involvement and parental support that creates a quality learning environment for its more than 11,000 students attending 20 schools. Putnam County has invested more than $88 million over the last nine years improving educational facilities. Putnam County’s graduation rate of 76.4 percent is one of the highest in our region, topped only by St. Johns County at 77 percent. Learn more about Putnam County Schools at www.putnamschools.org.

About Baker County
The Baker County School District consists of seven schools serving 4,900 students. This small district is committed to providing quality education that promotes individual growth and success. It recently received a grant from the Foundation for Rural Education Excellence to host the Advancing Careers in Education program, an effort to help a county “grow their own” teachers by providing students with dual enrollment college credits, new teacher training and mentoring. All Baker County schools are accredited by SACS. Learn more about Baker County Schools at www.baker.k12.fl.us/schools.

About Flagler County
The Flagler County School District serves about 12,000 students at its 13 schools. This past year, advanced placement students scored higher on their AP exams than the state, southern region and national averages. As one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, Flagler plans to build one school per year over the next 15 years to accommodate its growth. Learn more about Flagler County Schools at www.flaglerschools.com.

Private Schools
Northeast Florida has more than 100 private institutions with diverse programs located across the region. The Bolles School, Episcopal High School and St. Johns Country Day School, all nationally ranked private high schools, have a matriculation rate of greater than 95 percent. Refer to our list of private schools that are members of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, located below.

For those who plan to seek education opportunities outside the public school system, the First Coast has an extensive selection of private institutions from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Visit www.floridasmart.com for a list of area private schools.

Home Schooling
Children of all ages are home educated across the state. Resources are available to help students meet education and developmental requirements, including support organizations, newsletters, how-to books, textbooks, workbooks, evaluation personnel and tests. Information about getting started can be found by contacting Home Education Resources and Information at (904) 783-8197. The Florida Parent Educators Association also publishes “The Guide to Homeschooling in Florida.” Visit www.fpea.com to view the publication online or call 877.ASK.FPEA to request a copy.