By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
The minivans, bikers, walkers and school buses will be back soon — the first day of school in St. Johns County is Monday, Aug. 12. This year, two new schools will welcome students for the first time: Lakeside Academy, located within the Beacon Lakes portion of the Twin Creeks development, and Trout Creek Academy in the Shearwater neighborhood. These two schools, necessary to combat overcrowding in the northern part of the county, bring the total number of traditional K-12 schools in the district to 42.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming these two new schools,” St. Johns County School Board Member for District 1 Bev Slough said. “Principals are excited as are the families to start new traditions.”
According to the St. Johns County School District, the student count of traditional K-12 schools in the district as of May 2024 was a little more than 50,000 students, a 2.7 percent increase over the previous year. St. Johns County continues to be one of the fastest growing school districts in the state; Slough said the district expects to have 52,000 students this year.
“It’s always a challenge to open two new schools at the same time,” Slough said. “But it’s something we’ve done successfully before. The principals of both Lakeside Academy and Trout Creek Academy have their schools fully staffed and prepared to welcome students on the first day. As always we are happy to welcome new families to St. Johns County.”
This year’s district-wide Orientation Day is Aug. 9. Each school will set its own schedule, which might even be on a different day. Parents are advised to check with their student’s school for its specific activities.
Also of note is the Florida Back to School state sales tax holiday, which continues through Aug. 11. Consumers can purchase qualifying back-to-school supplies exempt from tax during this time. Visit https://floridarevenue.com/backtoschool for more information, including a list of items that may be purchased with no Florida sales tax.
There is still time to register your child for school, if you have not already done so, and the district recommends that parents do this as soon as possible. Parents may access information regarding registration requirements and their child’s attendance zone by visiting the school district website at www.stjohns.k12.fl.us and clicking on the “Families” tab. Additional information on registration and school attendance zones may be obtained from the Student Services Office at (904) 547-7797.
Photo courtesy Shelley Howard
School buses will soon be back on St. Johns County roads.
