Duval County Public Schools
Encyclopedia
Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is the public school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
for Duval County
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
, Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. As of 2011, the district had an enrollment of over 123,000 students, making it the 15th largest school district in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and 6th largest school district in Florida. In 2010, it was home to two of the top ten high schools in the United States, Stanton College Preparatory School
Stanton College Preparatory School
Stanton College Preparatory School is an academically renowned American high school located in Jacksonville, Florida, whose history dates to the 1860s, when it was begun as an elementary school serving the African-American population under the then-segregated education system. It now serves...
and Paxon School for Advanced Studies
Paxon School for Advanced Studies
Paxon School for Advanced Studies is one of three International Baccalaureate senior high schools in Duval County, Florida...
.
School board
The district's administrative offices are primarily located on the southbank of the St. Johns RiverSt. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
in a six-story building at 1701 Prudential Drive.
The Superintendent of DCPS is Ed Pratt-Dannals. The position of superintendent is appointed by the Duval County School Board, a body of seven elected officers, each board member representing a particular geographic area. School Board districts are somewhat analogous to City Council districts in that there are two council districts in each school board district. The current School Board members, in order of district number, are Martha Barrett, Fred E. Lee, W. C. Gentry, Paula Wright, Betty Burney, Becki Couch and Tommy Hazouri
Tommy Hazouri
Tommy Hazouri is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He represents Duval County School District 7 in the Duval County School Board, and previously served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida and as a member of the Florida House of Representatives .-Early life:Hazouri was born and raised...
. Board members are elected every four years with 2 term limits, with Districts 4 through 7 elected during midterm election cycles (next in 2010) and Districts 1 through 3 elected during presidential cycles (next in 2012).
The board received national attention in November 2008 when the five white members voted to retain the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest High School
Nathan Bedford Forrest High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Nathan Bedford Forrest High School is a public high school in the Duval County School District located on the Westside of Jacksonville, Florida. Forrest opened in 1959 in Jacksonville's Wesconnett neighborhood, at the site of present-day J. E. B. Stuart Middle School. Forrest moved to its current...
. The case was controversial because Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
had been a slave trader, a confederate General, and a Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
founder.
In 2011, Duval County had four schools identified as failing, according the results of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or the FCAT , is the standardized test used in the primary and secondary public schools of Florida...
(FCAT). Accountability legislation passed during Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
's administration required that schools failing the FCAT for four consecutive years must either: become a charter school, operate under an outside management organization, or close. Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Andrew Jackson High School is the oldest fully accredited high school in Duval County, Florida. It is located just north of downtown Jacksonville on Main Street . It opened in 1927, followed by Robert E. Lee High School, which opened in 1928. It was originally an all-white school, but the school...
, Raines
William M. Raines High School
William Marion Raines Senior High School is a historically black high school in Jacksonville, Florida. The school is located off Moncrief Road in Jacksonville, Florida's northside. Located at the corner Raines Avenue in northwest Jacksonville, Raines serves approximately 1000 students. The school...
and Ribault
Jean Ribault High School
-Statistics:Jean Ribault High School is a high school located on the Northside of Jacksonville, Florida.-History:Jean Ribault High School and William Raines High School have a unique rivalry and relationship that is based on their physical proximity, unusual for two public suburban high schools...
High Schools, and North Shore K-8, all traditional black schools, face intervention if they do not pass the Spring 2011 FCAT.
Superintendents
| 2007 - Present | Ed Pratt-Dannals | 2005 - 2007 | Joseph Wise | 1998 - 2005 | John Fryer | 1989 - 1997 | Larry Zenke | 1976 - 1989 | Herb Sang |
Schools
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through Grade 5 for elementary schools
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
, Grades 6-8 for middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
and Grades 9-12 for high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
since 1991. Before then, Grade 6 was part of elementary school and Grade 9 was part of middle school (called Junior High in DCPS prior to 1988). As now required by Florida law, virtually all elementary schools have Pre-K
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
programs.
DCPS has 160 regular-attendance schools as of the 2007-08 school year: 103 elementary schools, 25 middle schools. 3 K-8 schools, 2 -12 schools] and 19 high schools. The district also has an adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
system with night classes at most high schools, three dedicated ESE
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
schools, as well as a hospital/homebound program, 13 charter schools and three alternative education centers. The total does not include charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
s, which numbered 13 for the 2009-2010 school year. Charter schools operate under contract to the Duval County School Board and follow the curriculum and rules of the DCSB. They are publicly funded and non-sectarian; most are oriented to help students "at risk". These include students who have been unsuccessful in a traditional setting; have below average grades; have difficulty on tests; have been retained in one or more grade levels; or have problems with behavior.
The schools of DCPS are divided into four educational clusters plus “special schools,” which are managed by chief officers who report directly to the Deputy Superintendent. The four clusters include an elementary cluster, elementary turnaround cluster, secondary cluster and secondary turnaround cluster.
Magnet
A total of 62 schools offer magnet programs. In addition to the required courses, these schools allow students to explore individual interests and develop talents in the arts, aviation, culinary skills, language, law & legal occupations, mathematics, public service, science and technology. Nearly 20,000 students participated during the 2009-2010 school year.Best in the Nation
Since 1998, Newsweek Magazine has published a list of high schools that challenge their students to excel by enrolling in advanced placement courses, participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program or Advanced International Certificate of EducationAdvanced International Certificate of Education
The Advanced International Certificate of Education is an academically rigorous, internationally used, specialized, English language curriculum offered to students in the higher levels of secondary school intended to prepare them for an honours programme during tertiary education...
(AICE).
Duval County is home to four of the nation's 100 best high schools based on the Newsweek list. For 2010, (Stanton College Preparatory School
Stanton College Preparatory School
Stanton College Preparatory School is an academically renowned American high school located in Jacksonville, Florida, whose history dates to the 1860s, when it was begun as an elementary school serving the African-American population under the then-segregated education system. It now serves...
was 3rd, Paxon School for Advanced Studies
Paxon School for Advanced Studies
Paxon School for Advanced Studies is one of three International Baccalaureate senior high schools in Duval County, Florida...
was 8th, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts is a magnet high school in the San Marco neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. The school opened in the 1922 as a primary school specifically for African American students. The school is named after local civil rights activist, Douglas Anderson...
was 33rd and Mandarin High School
Mandarin High School
Mandarin High School is a public senior high school in Duval County Public Schools district located on Greenland Road in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2010, Newsweek ranked it 96th on its list of the best public high schools in the United States. In 2008, U.S...
was 97th. The entire list included 1,623 schools, just 6% of public high schools in the United States. Three other Jacksonville schools were included on the current list: Duncan U. Fletcher High School
Duncan U. Fletcher High School
Duncan U. Fletcher High School is a public high school in the Duval County School District, located in Neptune Beach, Florida.-History:Former Jacksonville Mayor and U.S. Senator Duncan U. Fletcher obtained a federal grant to build the school which bears his name. It opened September 20, 1937 for...
was 79th in 2008, but dropped to 291st; Sandalwood High School
Sandalwood High School
Sandalwood High School is a public high school in the Duval County Public School district of Jacksonville, Florida. It is currently has the largest school population in the district.- History :...
was 205th; and Englewood High School
Englewood High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Englewood High School is a public high school located on Jacksonville, Florida's southside.Rich in tradition and pride, Englewood High School was constructed in 1956 and exemplifies the concept of a "neighborhood school." Located on on the Southside of Jacksonville, Florida, this school is one of...
was 1080th.
Newsweek also publishes a "Catching Up" list of 33 disadvantaged schools nationwide that challenge their students to participate in Advanced Placement programs which offer better instruction and a stimulating curriculum designed to improve academic skills and prepare for college. Because fewer than 10% of those sitting for the exams actually pass, the schools are excluded from the Best High Schools list. For 2010, six of the top 11 schools and twelve of the top 22 were located in Jacksonville:
1. Robert E. Lee
2. Baldwin
8. Wolfson
Samuel W. Wolfson High School
Samuel W. Wolfson High School is a public high school, named after Samuel W. Wolfson, located in the Duval County Public School district, serving students of the diverse south side area of Jacksonville, Florida. Samuel W. Wolfson High School serves grades 9-12 in the Duval County Public Schools...
9. Terry Parker
Terry Parker High School
Terry Parker High School is a public high school in the Duval County Public School district, located in Jacksonville, Florida. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005. The school has been named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.-Namesake:...
10. A. Philip Randolph
A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology
A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology, formerly known as Northside Skills Center, is one of twelve high schools in Jacksonville, Florida to offer the advanced curriculum and skills training of Duval County's MAGNET programs...
11. Ribault
Jean Ribault High School
-Statistics:Jean Ribault High School is a high school located on the Northside of Jacksonville, Florida.-History:Jean Ribault High School and William Raines High School have a unique rivalry and relationship that is based on their physical proximity, unusual for two public suburban high schools...
12. First Coast
First Coast High School
First Coast High School is a 9-12 comprehensive high school located in the Oceanway neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. It was opened in 1990, at the same time as its sister school, Mandarin High School, opened up in the southern part of the city....
15. Ed White
Edward H. White High School
Edward H. White High School is a public high school operated by the Duval County Public Schools. It is located on Jacksonville's Westside. It is almost exclusively referred to by Jacksonville denizens as "Ed White High School", not "White High School"....
18. Peterson Academy of Technology
Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology
Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology is a public, magnet high school located in Jacksonville, Florida. The school is based around Arts and Technology-based programs, such as Commercial Arts, Graphic Design, Computer programming Television Production, Automotive Technology, Cosmetology,...
19. Raines
William M. Raines High School
William Marion Raines Senior High School is a historically black high school in Jacksonville, Florida. The school is located off Moncrief Road in Jacksonville, Florida's northside. Located at the corner Raines Avenue in northwest Jacksonville, Raines serves approximately 1000 students. The school...
20. Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Nathan Bedford Forrest High School is a public high school in the Duval County School District located on the Westside of Jacksonville, Florida. Forrest opened in 1959 in Jacksonville's Wesconnett neighborhood, at the site of present-day J. E. B. Stuart Middle School. Forrest moved to its current...
22. Jackson
Andrew Jackson High School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Andrew Jackson High School is the oldest fully accredited high school in Duval County, Florida. It is located just north of downtown Jacksonville on Main Street . It opened in 1927, followed by Robert E. Lee High School, which opened in 1928. It was originally an all-white school, but the school...
Florida Public K-12 School Rankings are based on data from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or the FCAT , is the standardized test used in the primary and secondary public schools of Florida...
(FCAT) provided by Florida Department of Education. Based on FCAT Data, among the state's 72 school districts, Duval County rates as follows: High schools—51, Middle Schools—52, Elementary Schools—42.
In 2007, the district instituted the Educators of Change
Educators of Change
Educators of Change is an alternative certification teacher-development program instituted in 2007 by Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida.-Purpose:...
program to identify future teachers among professionals and other individuals who have achieved success outside of the education field.
On August 23, 2010, Atlantic Coast High School
Atlantic Coast High School
Atlantic Coast High School is the newest public high school in the Duval County Public Schools district, located in southeast Jacksonville, Florida, and the first built since 1990.-Overview:...
opened for the 2010-2011 school year. It was the first new public high school built in the county since 1990 and cost $78 million. The school was constructed primarily to relieve overcrowding at the two largest high schools in Duval County, Sandalwood and Mandarin.