Schools

Public

St. Johns County schools in general and Ponte Vedra Beach area schools in particular consistently rank among the best in the state. They serve as a strong attraction for families relocating to northeast Florida. All St. Johns County public schools are fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Students:
Elementary school: 13,651
Middle school: 6,341
High school: 9,165
Class Size (Teacher Student Ratio)
1:15.03 (PK-3)
1:17.88 (4-8)
1:18.77(9-12)

Transportation:
A fleet of 221 school buses transports 17,600 students more than 3.8 million miles per year, in addition to over 3,000 field trips.

Report Card
Under Gov. Jeb Bush’s A+ Plan, Florida public schools are ranked by grades-A, B, C, D, and F-based on test scores from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and Writing+. School grades are only one element of the A+ Plan, enacted by the 1999 Florida Legislature. The grades are partially based on the FCAT reading, writing and math scores, including other criteria such as the improvement in reading scores of the lowest performing students.

This year, Ponte Vedra schools all received A’s from the Florida Department of Education. Nease High School has earned an A grade for the four of the past five years. This school year, students at Ponte Vedra schools scored well above county averages, which were much higher than state averages in the FCAT. The test is part of a statewide effort to increase student performance and hold schools more accountable and has been given to students in grades three through ten since 1999. Once again local students made significant gains over last year’s FCAT scores.

The highest gains in reading and math were by 10th graders at Nease. Math scores sky-rocketed by 23 points with a score of 357, while reading scores increased by 16 points with a score of 339. In 10th-grade math, the school district average was 336 and the state’s was 323. The district’s reading score was a 322, compared to the state’s 304. Eighth-grade students at Landrum did particularly well this year. They scored a 340 in reading, compared to the district average of 313 and the state’s average of 295. Math scores for that group increased by seven points to 343 over last year’s score.

Fourth- and fifth-grade students scored higher than state and district averages, although they did not show significant gains this year. The reading score for Ocean Palms fourth graders dropped some to 326 but was still higher than the state’s average of 298 and the district’s 313. Fifth graders at Rawlings once again scored a 351 in math, which was 37 points higher than the state average and 19 points better than the district’s.

FCAT Writing+ Results
Scores for students in Ponte Vedra area public schools exceeded both county and state averages on the annual FCAT Writing+ test of writing skills. Fourth graders at Ocean Palms scored 4.0, while Rawlings scored a 3.6. The district and state averages were 3.5 and 3.4, respectively. Eighth graders at Landrum scored a 4.0, compared to the district’s 3.9 and the state’s 3.7. Nease’s 10th graders scored 4.2, which was higher than the district and state averages of 4.0 and 3.8, respectively.

The test, given since 1994 to students in grades 4, 8 and 10, asks youngsters to write on an assigned topic within a designated time period. Scoring, based on focus, organization, support and conventions, ranges from 1 to 6. The FCAT Writing+ test now contains a multiple choice section in addition to the writing prompt. The whole test score will be a 100-500 scale score, with the rubric for the essay (prompt portion) being a score of 1 to 6.Beginning in the year 2007-2008, Grade 10 students receive achievement level scores that count for graduation.

Ponte Vedra Beach Public Schools

Alice B. Landrum Middle School 130 Landrum Lane Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 285-4209 Principal: Dr. Pherbia EngdahlNamed for Alice B. Landrum, pioneer postmaster and education booster, the school opened in 1991 with 160,000 square feet of building on 35 wooded acres. In 1996, Landrum was one of 14 schools in the state and only 266 across the nation to be designated as a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Allen D. Nease High School 10550 Ray Road St. Augustine, FL 32095 355-2857 Principal: Dr. Linda ThomsonDesignated by the state as a five-star school, Nease offers an International Baccalaureate program, dual enrollment and Advanced Placement courses.

Marjorie K. Rawlings Elementary School 610 A1A North Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 273-4983 Principal: Kathleen FurnessNamed in honor of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, a Florida author who won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for The Yearling, Rawlings opened in 1992. The school, which serves students in grades 3-5, is adjacent to Ponte Vedra-Palm Valley Elementary School, a K-2 school.

Ocean Palms Elementary School 355 Landrum Lane Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 285-9160 Principal: Mike ParrishOcean Palms Elementary School, which was named by a student, opened in 1996 across Landrum Lane from Landrum Middle School.

Ponte Vedra High School 460 Davis Park Road Ponte Vedra,  FL 32081 904-547-7350 Principal: Craig Speziale, Principle

Ponte Vedra High School Football Board 1124 Eddystone Lane Ponte Vedra, FL 32081 904-382-7699 Principal: Ben Adams

Ponte Vedra-Palm Valley Elementary School 630 A1A North Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 285-6022 Principal: Kathleen FurnessThe oldest public school in the area, Ponte Vedra-Palm Valley Elementary School opened as a K-9 school in temporary classrooms in 1958.

School Administration

Private Schools (K-12):

There are 17 privately run schools in St. Johns County (Baptist, Catholic,
Episcopal & Non-Denominational).