Best Public Schools in Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville, Florida, is home to 192 schools serving elementary through high school students, primarily within the Duval County school district, which is ranked 54th out of 70 districts in the state and faces significant challenges. The data reveals a stark divide between a handful of elite schools and many struggling institutions, with socioeconomic factors playing a major role in outcomes. Top-performing high schools like Stanton College Preparatory (ranked #11 in the state, 100% graduation rate) and Samuel W. Wolfson High School (ranked #12, 100% graduation rate) achieve exceptional test scores and very low poverty rates, while schools like KIPP Impact Academy and KIPP V.O.I.C.E Academy rank in the bottom 3% with very low proficiency and extremely high poverty rates.

Key metrics highlight systemic issues: the average chronic absenteeism rate across all schools is a crisis-level 44.1%, far exceeding the state average of 31.4%, with some schools like Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School reaching 81.5%. While the average graduation rate for high schools is a high 96.8%, this masks underlying problems, as schools like William M. Raines High School boast a 99.3% graduation rate but suffer from 77.1% chronic absenteeism and below-average test scores. Middle schools are a particular weak point, with an average state percentile rank of just 27.5%, and schools like Southside Middle School and Arlington Middle School ranking in the bottom 8%.

Charter schools show extreme variance, with River City Science Academy Southeast and Cornerstone Classical Academy among the city's best, while others like Duval Charter School At Westside are among the lowest-performing. Per-student spending averages $10,200 but shows no clear link to success, as Pinedale Elementary School spends $16,372 per student yet ranks in the bottom 9%. The Digital Academy Of Florida is a unique outlier with the largest enrollment (6,069), lowest spending ($5,507), and a reported 0% chronic absenteeism rate, though its graduation rate is a low 77.5%.