By Max Sheikh
St. Johns County is growing fast, and with that comes a surge in the student population. To handle the ever-growing student body, the school district is planning to open five new schools over the next three years. Those changes are expected to shake up school zones for many elementary, K-8, and middle school students in the area.
These plans were revealed at the Nov. 19 school board workshop and town hall, in which parents were welcomed to come listen to learn more about the changes, as well as provide some feedback. New attendance zones have been approved for schools slated to open next fall; the schools that are well outside these zones have much more to discuss with the board. The school district presented a map at the meeting, showing the planned schools each labeled with two-letter identifiers to help illustrate where they will be located.
Two of the schools are scheduled to open their doors next fall. The first school, labeled “NN,” will be a K-8 facility in the Shearwater area. It will have space for more than 1,000 students from the following eight communities: Shearwater, Cimarrone, Samara Lakes, St. Johns Forest, SilverLeaf, Durbin Crossing North, Durbing Crossing South, and Aberdeen. This school is targeted to relieve several overcrowded schools including Timberlin Creek Elementary, Hickory Creek Elementary, Freedom Crossing Academy, and Switzerland Point Middle School.
“Our neighborhood is not zoned to go to our neighborhood school: it’s zoned to go to a different school. And I feel like if I’m in the neighborhood and the school’s in the neighborhood, my son should be able to go to that neighborhood.”
-Sarun mey
The second school, “OO,” will be opened in the Beacon Lake area. It will rezone students from Ocean Palms Elementary, Liberty Pines Academy, and Alice B. Landrum Middle School. About 1,200 students from the neighborhoods of Beacon Lake, Nocatee Preserve, Las Calinas, Palencia, Walden Chase, and Marsh Landing will be attending the new school to balance student populations across the district. However, not all parents are satisfied with the new zoning. “Our neighborhood is not zoned to go to our neighborhood school: it’s zoned to go to a different school. And I feel like if I’m in the neighborhood and the school’s in the neighborhood, my son should be able to go to that neighborhood,” said Sarun Mey, a parent concerned about the zoning decisions.
Another K-8 is being built at the RiverTown development, off RiverTown Main Street and Grand Bridge Drive. That will open in the 2025-2026 school year. That would change boundaries for students that go to Cunningham Creek Elementary, Freedom Crossing Academy, and Switzerland Point Middle School. Part of the district’s long-range plan to keep up with surging county growth.
In 2026, two more schools are scheduled to open. School “QQ” will be located in SilverLeaf and is planned to continue the relief efforts to prevent overcrowding in that region. School “RR” will open in Nocatee, south of the Seabrook Village neighborhood. This will be the fifth school site donated by Nocatee’s developer, The PARC Group, to the district.
While the main focus is currently on K-8 schoools, plans for additional high schools are in the works, though in the preliminary stage. Deputy Superintendent for Operations, Dr. Brennan Asplen, has indicated that a new high school in SilverLeaf is being planned, however, details remain internally within the school district and plans have yet to be finalized. Estimations for physical development of the school is between the years 2027-2028.
Growth within the district is hard to ignore, and those new schools are just the beginning. With five new schools in three years, St. Johns County is doing what it can to keep up with its booming population. For students and parents, though, the changes mean a lot of adjustment as neighborhoods get rezoned and school assignments get shuffled around.
Graphic done by Ryder Navarra
