Twenty-seven St. Johns County schools landed in the top 20% statewide for the 2025-2026 school year, earning the Florida Department of Education's Schools of Excellence designation.

The list, announced by the district on Monday, Oct. 19, includes Bartram Trail High, Creekside High, Fruit Cove Middle, Switzerland Point Middle, Patriot Oaks Academy and Liberty Pines Academy. The district itself was named one of just 18 Academically High-Performing School Districts in the state.

The recognition spans 12 elementary schools, four middle schools, five high schools and six K-8 academies.

Superintendent Brennan Asplen credited the results to a team effort. "Our students and staff earn this success every day, with support from families and our community," Asplen said in a district statement.

Which local schools made the list

Elementary schools: Cunningham Creek, Durbin Creek, Hickory Creek, Julington Creek, Ketterlinus, Ocean Palms, Otis A. Mason, Palencia, PVPV-Rawlings, R. B. Hunt, Timberlin Creek and W. D. Hartley.

Middle schools: Alice B. Landrum, Fruit Cove, Pacetti Bay and Switzerland Point.

High schools: Allen D. Nease, Bartram Trail, Beachside, Creekside and Ponte Vedra.

K-8 academies: Freedom Crossing, Liberty Pines, Palm Valley, Patriot Oaks, Pine Island and Valley Ridge.

What the designation means

Schools of Excellence must rank in the top 20% of Florida schools serving similar grade levels for at least two of the past three school years, according to the Florida Department of Education. The designation lasts up to three years if a school continues to meet state performance standards. Schools that fall below the threshold can lose it early.

The Academically High-Performing School District designation follows similar criteria at the district level. St. Johns County is one of 18 districts out of Florida's 67 county systems to earn that label for 2025-2026, according to First Coast Observer, which also covered the announcement.

To qualify for the district-level designation, districts must meet criteria based on school grades, district grades and class-size compliance, along with financial audit reviews for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Schools stretch across the county

Several of the K-8 academies on the list were built in the past 15 years to serve fast-growing master-planned communities, according to First Coast Observer.

That matters locally. The honored schools stretch from the Ponte Vedra coastline to the Durbin Creek and Julington Creek corridors west of Interstate 95. For families in Fruit Cove, Switzerland and Durbin Crossing, the designation covers neighborhood schools at every grade level.

The designation is valid for the 2025-2026 school year and can last up to three years if schools continue to meet state standards.