Ponte Vedra High School, Allen D. Nease High School and five other local campuses are among 27 St. Johns County schools that earned Florida's Schools of Excellence designation for 2025-26.

The state honor recognizes campuses whose school-grade scores rank in the top 20% of Florida schools serving similar grade levels for at least two of the past three school years, according to St. Johns Citizen. The St. Johns County School District was also named one of 18 Academically High-Performing School Districts in Florida, according to the district.

Seven of the 27 honored schools sit squarely in the Ponte Vedra area: Ponte Vedra High, Nease, Palm Valley Academy, Valley Ridge Academy, Ocean Palms Elementary, PVPV-Rawlings Elementary and Alice B. Landrum Middle.

"We are proud of our schools and the hard work behind these recognitions," Superintendent Brennan Asplen said in a statement. "Our students and staff earn this success every day, with support from families and our community."

All 27 schools

The district's honorees span 12 elementary schools, four middle schools, five high schools and six K-8 academies.

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

High: 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.

Statewide picture

Across Florida, 76% of all schools earned an "A" or "B" grade in 2025-26, up from 71% in 2024-25, according to the Florida Department of Education. Sixty percent of schools maintained an "A" or improved their grade from the prior year.

The Academically High-Performing School District designation is awarded annually by the State Board of Education based on district and school grades, class size compliance and financial audit reports, according to Walton County School District, one of the 18 districts that earned the honor.

"We will continue building on that work to help every student succeed," Asplen said.