St. Johns schools superintendent: 25 schools projected to be built over 20 years

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — At least one new school, every year, for 20 years.

That's what St. Johns County School District leaders say it will take to cope with the growth that's expected to continue.

Action News Jax went to St. Johns County to speak with superintendent Tim Forson about this issue. He believes this problem won’t be going away anytime soon.

For Shannon Pickles’ family, the reason to live in St. Johns County was simple.

“We were having a baby and we wanted to move to the area that has the best schools,” Pickles said.

The St. Johns County School District is considered the top district in the state and also one of the fastest growing. From 1996 to 2016, the number of students grew from around 16,000 to around 37,000. By 2021, the number is expected to increase to around 45,000 and in 2036, around 64,000.

“We’ll actually construct more than a school a year. I think we’re projecting out 25 schools in a 20-year period,” Forson said.

Forson said those new schools are needed to help prevent schools from being overcrowded, an issue the district is already dealing with.

“We’ve seen that happen in about a three-year period where they’ve gone well beyond capacity,” Forson said.

But as mores homes and schools are built families will likely also face another issue – rezoning.

“Students will likely move from school to another at some point in their education,” Forson said.

“The latest rezoning plans were just passed and she’s going to be sent back to her original school, Durbin Creek, for fifth grade. So she’ll be at three schools in her elementary career. Which I think is sad,” Pickles said.

Cox Media Group