Located in JACKSONVILLE, FL. Serving grades 06 through 08.
James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School sits on the northwest side of Jacksonville, a city that is simultaneously one of Florida's largest urban centers and one of its fastest-growing metro areas. The school serves grades six through eight as a regular public school within Duval County Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the state. It is not a charter and no magnet designation appears in the data.
The academic picture here is a clear strength. On Florida's FAST assessments, proficiency rates across ELA and math run well into the upper range at every grade tested, with sixth-grade math and eighth-grade science both reaching the high eighties. ELA results hold consistently across all three middle grades, and eighth-grade math, while slightly lower than the others, remains solidly strong. The eighth-grade science result on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment is among the more striking figures in the data. For a public middle school, these are strong outcomes by any reasonable read of statewide expectations. Multi-year trend data was not available, so whether this reflects sustained performance or a single strong year cannot be said from this data alone.
The school's enrollment is comfortably sized for a middle school. The student body is racially mixed, with Black students forming the largest share, followed by white students, and a meaningful Asian-American population that is larger than typical for the county's schools. Hispanic enrollment is a smaller portion of the mix. About a quarter to a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a lower economic disadvantage rate than many Jacksonville schools carry. Data on students with IEPs and English learners was not reported, so the depth of special education and language support services cannot be characterized here; a parent whose child has specific learning needs would want to ask the school directly.
The neighbor comparison set for Duval County contained too few districts for a meaningful proficiency ranking, so placement against peers in the county is not available from this data.
No program listings were provided, so details about electives, enrichment, or extracurricular offerings are absent from the record. The school's name signals a college preparatory orientation, and publicly reported information describes it as a selective program within Duval County. A parent considering this school would want to confirm the application or enrollment process and any academic requirements directly with the district.
The surrounding zip code carries housing values that are well below both the Florida state median and the national median, and home prices have declined modestly year over year. Rents in the area are comparatively low and essentially flat. Estimated monthly ownership costs sit below what renting would cost in many parts of Jacksonville. For a family weighing affordability against a specific school placement, the immediate neighborhood offers some of the more accessible price points in the city, though parents should understand that Jacksonville is sprawling and car-dependent outside of a handful of walkable pockets downtown, in Riverside, and in San Marco.
Jacksonville itself is in a period of visible momentum. Downtown is undergoing substantial residential and commercial development along the St. Johns River, with major projects publicly reported across multiple sites. The healthcare sector is the city's largest employment base, anchored by Baptist Health and with Mayo Clinic and several other major health systems present. Amazon, the military through Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and financial services firms including Florida Blue round out the economic picture. The urban core is being reshaped in ways that could affect residential choices for families over the coming years.
District-level information on strategic priorities or recent policy changes was not available; the research search exhausted before confirming lasting changes, so that context is left out rather than guessed at.
Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.
Officially reported figures, 2024-25.
All reported measures, by topic.