Fifteen months from now, hundreds of children will be sitting in the classrooms and walking the halls of a new, independent Christian school in Ponte Vedra.
Tuesday, June 9, Outreach Education unveiled plans for Kingsminster Ponte Vedra, which will be located behind St. Francis-in-the-Field church in Nocatee. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held at the site following a brand reveal ceremony at the link.
Classes will begin in August 2027. The school will accommodate students in kindergarten through grade seven during the first year, adding eighth grade after that. There are no plans to build a high school at the site, the address of which is 895 Palm Valley Road.
Though established in the Episcopalian tradition, Kingsminster won’t be a covenant school and will welcome families from a variety of faith backgrounds. A director of spiritual life will be among the staff. The school community and education will be rooted in the Christian faith and the institution will be shaped by four foundational pillars: academics, spiritual life, fine arts and athletics.
With 78,000 square feet of new facilities, the school will sit on an 11-acre campus. Special features include a chapel, podcast studio, gymnasium, full-size soccer field, six-lane track, playgrounds and outdoor gathering spaces and an attractive academic building described as “modern gothic” in style.
“It’s clearly going to be one of the most beautiful campuses around anywhere,” said Founding Executive Director Jack Hall, “but what excites me the most is the opportunity to help build a school where children are truly known, where teacher excellence and meaningful mentorship matter, and where young people are encouraged to discover and steward their God-given gifts and calling.”
Kingsminster will serve families from across northern St. Johns and southern Duval counties. Enrollment is expected to be 800 once all grade levels are in place. Class sizes are expected to be small.
Thirty teachers are to be hired for the first year, and competitive salaries are being offered with a goal of attracting the best. Ultimately, the school will employ about 100 full-time employees and will have, according to Ilya Soroka, chairman and chief development officer of Outreach Education, a “significant economic impact on the county.”
Tuition is projected to average $19,000 annually. In lower grades, tuition is estimated to be $18,500 annually, with middle school tuition at $20,000. Kingsminster expects to accept Florida Choice Scholarships and other educational voucher programs.
Outreach Education currently operates six schools, serving more than 3,500 students, according to CEO Joseph Chisholm. The company delivers back-office services, which fall into several categories: financial, human resources, facilities and operational support. This provides operational efficiency that drastically reduces administrative overhead.
“Those cost savings are going to be able to be focused on the classroom, on excellent teachers, on advancing academic excellence, on enriching our spiritual life, our athletics and our fine arts programs,” Chisholm said.
He said the school’s anchoring biblical verse is Philippians 4:8: “… Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”
Soroka said the origin of the school goes back two years when he and Taylor Smith, president and founder of Project Finance & Development Investments LLC, were discussing the state of education and ways to provide parents options amidst the school-choice movement.
Smith has served on Florida’s founding Charter School Review Panel, among other affiliations.
They began to seek an area where there was demand but few independent options. To work, it needed to make sense from both real estate and faith perspectives. Ultimately, they partnered with St. Francis-in-the-Field.
The name Kingsminster is derived from two components: “Kings,” acknowledging Christ as King but also signifying leadership and purpose; and “minster,” traditionally associated with a place of worship, education and spiritual formation, particularly in an Anglican milieu.
The founders raised more than $35 million to launch the school, something not normally done.
“We basically had to raise the money before anything was built, before a single kid walks into the building,” said Soroka. “So, a very big commitment from us to really make that happen.”
Construction has begun on the new school, and hardhat tours are projected to be held next spring.
Hall said Kingsminster Ponte Vedra would be the kind of school every parent or grandparent would like to send their children, “a school where children are known, loved, challenged and encouraged to become the people God created them to be.”
For further information, go to kingsminsterpv.com.
