Public school students across St. Johns County headed back to school Aug. 10, with nearly 35,000 students starting the school year in the state’s top-rated school district.
According to the St. Johns County School District, 34,906 students were enrolled as of the first day of school – an increase of 1,850 students or 5.3 percent over last year. St. Johns County continues to be one of the fastest-growing school districts in the state.
Total high school enrollment across the county was 11,016, with 2,193 at Allen D. Nease High School, 1,663 at Ponte Vedra High School, 2,259 students at Bartram Trail High School, 1,958 at Creekside High School, 1,307 at Pedro Menendez High School and 1,636 at St. Augustine High School. There were also 270 students in attendance at St. Johns Technical High School (SJTHS).
Middle school attendance totaled 7,101, with student headcounts ranging from 660 at Sebastian Middle School to 1,334 at Pacetti Bay Middle School. The other first-day figures were Alice B. Landrum Middle School with 1,134, Fruit Cove Middle School with 1,165, R. J. Murray Middle School with 700, Gamble Rogers Middle School with 857 and Switzerland Point Middle School with 1,251.
The district’s K-8 schools enrollment totaled 4,180. Nocatee’s Valley Ridge Academy began the new year with 1,446 students, while Liberty Pines and Patriot Oaks academies had 1,372 and 1,362, respectively.
While the elementary school population totaled 12,008, that count included approximately 33 percent of the kindergarten population, since schools stagger the kindergarten start date over a three-day period. Another 331 students are enrolled at the district’s alternative, charter and Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) schools.
“I am thankful to our transportation department, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and their PSAs, as well as the numerous crossing guards who ensure children get to and from our schools safely,” Superintendent Dr. Joseph Joyner said. “I am also very appreciative to our parents for their continued support and their patience as we work through the first few days of this school year.”
