27 St. Johns County Schools Named Florida Schools of Excellence as District Earns Top State Label

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Twenty-seven St. Johns County public schools have earned Florida's School of Excellence designation for the 2025-2026 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education. The St. Johns County School District also earned recognition as one of 18 Academically High-Performing School Districts in Florida for the same year. The district announced both designations Oct. 19.

The 27 recognized schools include 12 elementary schools, four middle schools, five high schools and six K-8 academies. Under Florida law, Schools of Excellence must rank in the 80th percentile or higher among schools serving comparable grade levels for at least two of the previous three school years. The designation also provides administrative flexibility intended to help school employees maintain academic performance and support student learning.

"We are proud of our schools and the hard work behind these recognitions," said Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen. "Our students and staff earn this success every day, with support from families and our community. We will continue building on that work to help every student succeed."

The 27 St. Johns County Schools of Excellence

The district's Oct. 19 announcement identified all 27 schools that received the designation for 2025-2026. Elementary schools accounted for the largest group, followed by K-8 academies, high schools and middle schools. The following table reproduces the district's list, organized by school level.

The list includes schools serving different grade configurations, from elementary campuses to combined K-8 academies and high schools. Florida evaluates these categories against schools with similar grade groupings rather than placing every school into a single comparison group. That distinction is central to how the state determines eligibility for the School of Excellence program.

What qualifies a school for the designation

Florida Statute 1003.631 establishes the requirements for Schools of Excellence, a program created in 2017. The law directs the State Board of Education to designate schools whose percentage of possible points earned in the school grade calculation reaches at least the 80th percentile among schools with the same grade groupings. A school must meet that threshold for at least two of the previous three school years and have data for each applicable school grade component.

The law allows an eligible school to retain its designation for up to three years. To renew after that period, the school must again meet the 80th-percentile requirement in two of the preceding three years and must not have received a school grade lower than B in any of those three years. A school that receives a grade below B during its designation period loses the designation and the associated flexibilities for the remainder of that period.

The district summarized the standard in its announcement by saying the recognized schools rank among the top 20% of Florida schools serving similar grade levels for at least two of the past three school years. That description reflects the percentile requirement in state law, although the statute specifies that the calculation uses the percentage of possible school-grade points earned. The distinction means the recognition depends on sustained results within comparable school categories rather than a single year's performance.

Five flexibilities available under Florida law

The School of Excellence designation carries specific administrative provisions beyond the recognition itself. Florida Statute 1003.631 establishes those provisions to give qualifying schools flexibility in areas such as instructional scheduling, school leadership and professional certification. The law identifies five principal flexibilities.

1. Reading instruction requirements: Schools of Excellence receive an exemption from laws or rules that expressly require a minimum period of daily or weekly reading instruction.

2. Principal autonomy: Principals receive the autonomy provided under Florida Statute 1012.28(8).

3. Teacher certification renewal: One school year of employment at a School of Excellence counts as 20 inservice points toward professional certificate renewal for teachers and other instructional personnel. The law allows a maximum of 60 such points during a five-year renewal cycle.

4. School schedules: Schools of Excellence receive an exemption from district policies that establish school day start and end times.

5. Class-size calculations: These schools may demonstrate compliance with class-size requirements using a school-level average under Florida Statute 1003.03(4).

These provisions give qualifying schools administrative options while they hold the designation. They do not make the recognition permanent, because the statute establishes conditions for renewal and loss of eligibility. The designation therefore combines recognition of previous academic performance with operating flexibility subject to continued compliance with state requirements.

Jax Times math: 27 of 45 traditional schools recognized

The St. Johns County School District's published District Facts page provides a way to compare the 27 recognized schools with the district's traditional school campuses. Its schools section, updated Aug. 14, 2026, lists 18 elementary schools, 12 K-8 academies, seven middle schools and eight high schools. Together, those four categories account for 45 schools.

Based on those figures, 27 of the district's 45 traditional elementary, middle, K-8 and high schools received the designation, or 60%. That percentage is a Jax Times calculation using the district's published school counts and recognition list, not a percentage reported by the district. The calculation excludes other school categories listed separately in District Facts.

Elementary schools had the highest recognized share among the four categories, with 12 of 18 campuses receiving the designation. High schools followed with five of eight, while four of seven middle schools and six of 12 K-8 academies appeared on the recognition list. These percentages describe the share of schools recognized within each local category and do not represent separate statewide rankings.

District serves a county of more than 346,000 residents

The district's Schools section of District Facts lists 53 total schools across all categories. Beyond the 45 traditional elementary, middle, high and K-8 campuses, that count includes one technical college, two alternative schools, one virtual school and four charter schools. The broader total provides context for the school system, while the 45-school calculation provides a consistent comparison for the four categories represented in the School of Excellence announcement.

District Facts also lists St. Johns County's population at 346,328 residents, citing St. Johns County Government. The county covers 600.6 square miles, according to the same district information. Those figures describe the geographic and population context for the school system rather than the number of students enrolled.

The district's separate Academically High-Performing School District designation applies to the 2025-2026 school year. St. Johns County is one of 18 Florida districts that earned that recognition, according to the district's announcement. The School of Excellence program, meanwhile, identifies individual campuses and gives those schools the specific flexibilities established in state law.

## How we did this Jax Times reviewed the St. Johns County School District's Oct. 19, 2026, announcement, "27 St. Johns County Schools Named Schools of Excellence," and its District Facts page, including school counts updated Aug. 14, 2026. We also used Florida Statute 1003.631, available through the Florida Legislature, to explain designation standards, renewal requirements and administrative flexibilities. Jax Times calculated the 27-of-45 total and percentages by school level from the district's published counts; the underlying information was verified Oct. 27, 2026, through the school district website and the Florida Legislature website.