Schools guide

Northeast Florida Schools Guide

Every public school in St. Johns County with its 2026 state grade, which schools serve the top communities, the A-rated schools at the Jacksonville Beaches and Mandarin, and the private schools people ask me about most.

By Joey Larsen, Realtor with LaRosa Realty North Florida. Updated October 2026 with the 2026 state school grades.

• Districts compared
• By community
• St. Johns schools
• Career academies
• Duval schools
• Nassau and Clay
• Private schools
• Check your zone

How Florida grades schools

Every July, the Florida Department of Education gives each public school a letter grade from A to F. It's based on test scores, how much students improve from one year to the next, and for high schools, things like graduation rates and college-level courses. For 2026, an elementary school needed 62% of the possible points for an A, a middle school 64%, and a high school 65%.

The four districts, side by side

2026 district and school grades from the Florida Department of Education. Rank is by total points in the state's district grade file; the state doesn't publish a ranked list. In 2025, Nassau ranked first and St. Johns second. Graduation rates are for the class of 2024-25. Students are 2025-26 enrollment.

Duval is a big district with a wide range. It has some of the best schools in the state, including magnet high schools and A-rated neighborhood schools at the Beaches and in Mandarin, and it also has more C schools. In Duval, the exact address matters more.

Which schools serve the top communities

These are the zoned public schools for the 2026-27 school year in the St. Johns County communities featured on my homepage.

Based on the St. Johns County School District's 2026-27 attendance zone maps. Where a community is split, the school depends on the exact address, so always check the locator. Grades are 2026 state grades; schools that opened in August 2026 don't have a grade yet. Nocatee also crosses into Duval County, and homes on that side go to Duval schools.

St. Johns County public schools

Here's every graded St. Johns public school, by level, with its 2026 state grade.

High schools

Middle schools

K-8 academies

Most of the newer communities are zoned for a K-8 academy instead of separate elementary and middle schools.

Elementary schools

The area column is a general location to help you get oriented, not a zone boundary. St. Johns also has two charter schools (St. Augustine Public Montessori and Treaty Oaks Preparatory, both B) and an A-rated virtual school.

What's being built

• Hallowes Cove Academy opened in RiverTown for the 2025-26 school year.
• Magnolia Oaks Academy (SilverLeaf) and Sabal Crest Academy (Nocatee) opened in August 2026. Both started with grades K-7 and add 8th grade next year.
• A high school for the SilverLeaf area is in the design stage. The district hasn't announced an opening year.

Career academies at St. Johns high schools

Every St. Johns high school has career academies, where students can earn industry certifications alongside regular classes. There are 29 in all.

Duval County schools

The Jacksonville Beaches

The Beaches have some of the strongest neighborhood schools in Duval. Most homes there are zoned for Fletcher High, which earned an A.

Duval's 2025-26 zone maps, which its locator still shows. Jacksonville Beach Elementary is a magnet school for gifted students and had the highest score of any Duval school in 2026. Anchor Academy is set to merge into Mayport Elementary in 2028-29.

Mandarin, Southside, and the Duval side of Ponte Vedra

Homes on the Duval side of the St. Johns County line, from Ponte Vedra west to Mandarin, are zoned for Fletcher High, Atlantic Coast High, or Mandarin High, all A-rated, depending on the street. Elementary and middle schools vary even more, so check the locator. A-rated schools in these areas include:

• High: Atlantic Coast, Mandarin, Sandalwood
• Middle: Mandarin Middle
• Elementary: Alimacani, Bartram Springs, Chets Creek, Greenland Pines, Hendricks Avenue, Hogan-Spring Glen, Kernan Trail, Loretto, Mandarin Oaks

Duval magnet high schools

Magnet schools take students by application from anywhere in the county, not by address.

Nassau and Clay

• Nassau earned an A and ranked second in the state by points in 2026. Fernandina Beach High, Yulee High, and Hilliard Middle-Senior High all earned A's; West Nassau High earned a B.
• Clay earned an A. Fleming Island, Oakleaf, Middleburg, and Ridgeview high schools earned A's. Clay High, Orange Park High, and Keystone Heights Jr/Sr High earned B's.

Private schools

Grades served as listed on each school's own website, October 2026.

Check the zone for a specific address

School zones change as new schools open. St. Johns redrew zones for 2026-27 when Magnolia Oaks and Sabal Crest opened. Before you make an offer, look up the exact address: