Duval County Public Schools

Duval County Public Schools is the public school district that serves the families and children residing in the urban, suburban, and rural areas of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida. As of 2015, the district had an enrollment of over 128,000 students, making it the 20th largest school district in the United States, and the 6th largest school district in Florida. The district’s 197 schools are traditional neighborhood and magnet schools, charter schools, and alternative schools, all of which serve students of various needs.The district is managed by the Duval County School Board and the Superintendent. Dr.Patricia Willis has been the interim Superintendent since May 2017 she replaced former superintendent Dr.Nikolai Vitti after he was chosen to be superintendent of the Detroit public school community district.Current Duval County School Board members are Cheryl Grimes, District 1; Scott Shine, District 2; Vice-Chairman Ashley Smith Juarez, District 3; Chairman Paula Wright, District 4; Warren Jones, District 5; Becki Couch, District 6; and Lori Hershey, District 7.DCPS has achieved an overall ranking of “B,” according to the Florida Department of Education’s school grade system, which is based on the New Florida Standards and Florida Standard Assessments test results.HistoryIn the spring of 1864, J.M. Hawks opened the first free public school in the state, located in Jacksonville. The school was later branded as the Stanton Normal Institute in 1868, with a student body of 400. Duval County paved the way for public education in Florida by establishing the first stand-alone high school in 1877, and the first large-scale public school transportation system in 1898.