How Florida school grades work
The Florida Department of Education grades each public school A to F every year. The grade is based on the percentage of available points the school earns across measures such as English language arts and math achievement, learning gains, science and social studies, and, for high schools, graduation rate and college and career acceleration.
The point thresholds differ by school level. For 2025-26, an elementary school needed 62% of points for an A, a middle school 64%, and a high or combination school 65%. A grade is one year's snapshot, so look at the school's grades over several years too. The state's spreadsheet lists each school's history back to the late 1990s.
Grades are a starting point, not a full picture. They don't measure class sizes, specific programs or how a school fits your child, so visit and ask questions before you decide.
Duval County high school grades for 2025-26
These are the state grades and percentage of points for Duval County's district-run high schools, excluding charter and combination schools. Grades for 2025 are shown for comparison.
| High school | 2026 grade | 2025 grade | Points earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel W. Wolfson High School | A | A | 90% |
| Stanton College Preparatory | A | A | 87% |
| Paxon School for Advanced Studies | A | A | 79% |
| Douglas Anderson School of the Arts | A | A | 72% |
| Andrew Jackson High School | A | A | 69% |
| Jean Ribault High School | A | A | 69% |
| Duncan U. Fletcher High School | A | A | 68% |
| Mandarin High School | A | A | 67% |
| Atlantic Coast High School | A | A | 67% |
| Sandalwood High School | A | A | 66% |
| Frank H. Peterson Academies | A | B | 65% |
| Edward H. White High School | B | B | 64% |
| William M. Raines High School | B | B | 63% |
| A. Philip Randolph Academies | B | B | 62% |
| Riverside High School | C | C | 59% |
| First Coast High School | C | B | 59% |
| Englewood High School | C | B | 57% |
| Terry Parker High School | C | C | 56% |
| Westside High School | C | C | 55% |
Several of the top scorers take students by application rather than by address. Before you buy for a particular high school, confirm whether it is the neighborhood school for that address or a program you would need to apply to.
Notable Duval high schools: magnet or neighborhood?
The top of the table is dominated by magnet schools. The neighborhood schools that earned an A are the ones a home address can actually zone you for.
Samuel W. Wolfson High School
The highest-scoring district high school for 2025-26, at 90% of points. Wolfson is an academic magnet and college preparatory school that specializes in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.
Stanton College Preparatory School
At 87% of points, Stanton is a highly selective public preparatory high school offering Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. Admission is by application, not by address.
Paxon School for Advanced Studies
One of Duval's International Baccalaureate high schools, graded A with 79% of points.
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
A magnet high school in San Marco specializing in performing, visual and language arts, graded A with 72%. It admits by audition.
Mandarin High School
A neighborhood high school on Greenland Road, established in 1990 and graded A with 67%. It serves much of Mandarin, though not every address there.
Atlantic Coast and Sandalwood high schools
Atlantic Coast opened in 2010 to relieve crowding at Mandarin, Sandalwood, Englewood and Wolfson, and earned an A with 67%; Sandalwood earned an A with 66%. Both are neighborhood schools on the Southside and in Arlington, so check the zone for each address.
A-graded elementary and middle schools in Duval
Middle schools
Among Duval's district-run middle schools, Duncan U. Fletcher, Julia Landon College Preparatory, James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory, Mayport Coastal Sciences, Landmark, Mandarin and LaVilla School of the Arts earned an A for 2025-26.
Elementary schools
District-run elementary schools that earned an A include Abess Park, Alimacani, Atlantic Beach, Bartram Springs, Chet's Creek, Chimney Lakes, Fishweir, Greenland Pines, Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville Beach, Kernan Trail, Loretto, Neptune Beach, San Pablo, Seabreeze, Venetia, Waterleaf and West Riverside, among others.
Some carry the name of the area around them, such as Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach elementary schools, but a school's name doesn't define its zone. See the Mandarin guide and the Riverside and Avondale guide for more on those areas, and check the zoned schools for any specific street.
How Duval school zoning and school choice work
Duval County Public Schools assigns each student a neighborhood school based on the home address, and its website has a lookup tool for this. You have three main ways to attend a different school.
Magnet schools and programs
These focus on themes such as the arts, STEM or career fields. The district provides limited transportation. Some arts schools, including Douglas Anderson, LaVilla and Fort Caroline Middle, may require an audition.
Special transfer option
This lets a student attend a different neighborhood school if seats are available. Parents are responsible for transportation.
Controlled open enrollment
After the lottery, remaining seats are offered first come, first served at several points in the year.
Lottery dates
For the 2026-27 school year the lottery window ran from December 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026, and families were told results by mid-March. Expect a similar winter window for the following year, but confirm the dates with the district. If you are moving mid-year, ask the district which seats are still open through controlled open enrollment.
Charter schools
The district's schools include traditional neighborhood and magnet schools, charter schools and alternative schools. Charter schools that received a state grade are counted in the A to D totals at the top of this page; apply to each charter directly and check its own grade in the state file.
Schools in St. Johns, Clay and Nassau counties
Many Jacksonville-area buyers look just over the county line. In the 2025-26 grades:
St. Johns County
40 of 46 graded schools earned an A, including all of its high schools except Pedro Menendez (B). Nease, Bartram Trail, Ponte Vedra, Creekside, Tocoi Creek and Beachside high schools earned an A. New K-8 schools opened for 2026-27, and attendance zones changed in several communities, including Nocatee.
Clay County
29 schools earned an A, including Fleming Island, Oakleaf, Middleburg and Ridgeview high schools. See the Fleming Island and Oakleaf guides.
Nassau County
13 of 14 graded schools earned an A, including Fernandina Beach and Yulee high schools. See the Fernandina Beach guide.
Homes in these counties often cost more than the Jacksonville average. Zillow's typical home value was $445,587 in Fleming Island and $610,615 in Fernandina Beach in August 2026, against $285,103 for Jacksonville.
How to check the schools for a specific home
- Enter the property address in the school district's school locator, not just the ZIP code. Zone lines can split a street or a subdivision.
- Look up each zoned school's grade history in the state's school grades file.
- Ask the district whether any rezoning is under review for that area, especially in fast-growing parts of the county.
- If you are counting on a magnet or transfer seat, note that placement is by lottery and not guaranteed.
- Don't rely on a listing's school information alone. Verify it yourself before you make an offer.
For how school areas line up with prices, compare the Jacksonville ZIP code guide with the zoned schools for the homes on your list.
Common questions
What are the best public high schools in Jacksonville?+
In Florida's 2025-26 school grades, the highest-scoring Duval County district high schools were Samuel W. Wolfson (90% of points) and Stanton College Preparatory (87%), followed by Paxon School for Advanced Studies and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Some of these admit students by application or audition, so check how a school accepts students.
How do I find out which school a Jacksonville home is zoned for?+
Use the Duval County Public Schools school locator on the district website and enter the full property address. Zoning follows the address, not the ZIP code, and boundaries can split neighborhoods. For homes in St. Johns, Clay or Nassau counties, use that county school district's own zoning lookup instead.
Can my child attend a Duval school outside our zone?+
Yes, through a magnet program, the special transfer option or controlled open enrollment. Magnet and transfer seats are assigned through a winter lottery, which ran from December 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026 for the 2026-27 school year. Transfer students need their own transportation, while magnet students get limited district transportation.
Is Stanton or Wolfson the best high school in Jacksonville?+
On Florida's 2025-26 grades, both earned an A: Samuel W. Wolfson High School scored 90% of available points and Stanton College Preparatory 87%, the two highest among Duval's district high schools. Both focus on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. A grade is one year's result, so compare several years and how each school admits students.
How many A-rated schools are in Duval County?+
In the 2025-26 grades released in September 2026, 64 Duval County public schools earned an A, 37 earned a B, 66 a C and 5 a D. That compares with 59 A schools in 2025. The counts include charter schools that received a grade.
Are St. Johns County schools better than Duval?+
On the 2025-26 state grades, 40 of St. Johns County's 46 graded schools earned an A, against 64 A schools out of 172 graded in Duval. That reflects district-wide results, not any one school. Homes in St. Johns County also tend to cost more, so compare the zoned schools and the full cost for each address you are considering.
Sources
- Florida Department of Education: School grades 2026 (SchoolGrades26.xlsx)
- Duval County Public Schools: Choice options
- Duval County Public Schools: Magnet schools
- Duval County Public Schools: Special transfer option
- Duval County Public Schools: Neighborhood schools
- Zillow Research: Home Value Index data (August 2026)
- Wikipedia: Samuel W. Wolfson High School
- Wikipedia: Stanton College Preparatory School
- Wikipedia: Paxon School for Advanced Studies
- Wikipedia: Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
- Wikipedia: Mandarin High School
- Wikipedia: Duval County Public Schools
- Nocatee: School zoning for Nocatee students, 2026/2027
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Antonio Roberts
Antonio Roberts has spent five years helping more than 500 Florida buyers and sellers choose the right real estate agent. He is not a real estate agent himself: he researches what matters in a Florida move and connects people with licensed local agents, free of charge.
Reviewed by a licensed Florida real estate agent. Before publication, this guide was checked for accuracy by a licensed Florida real estate agent on our team. It is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
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