The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Becoming Collegiate Academy
Becoming Collegiate Academy is a small charter school in Jacksonville's Norwood Avenue corridor, serving kindergarten through fourth grade. Its enrollment is concentrated in the earliest grades, and the school draws almost entirely from the surrounding neighborhood, which sits north of downtown in a part of the city that is distinctly working-class and predominantly Black. Every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, making this one of the highest-poverty student populations in the district. The school's racial composition is nearly entirely Black, reflecting the demographic character of the neighborhood it serves.
Because the school currently enrolls students only through the earliest elementary grades, Florida's FAST assessment data exists only for third grade. Proficiency rates at that grade level, in both math and reading, are well below the statewide midpoint. That is a real finding and worth naming plainly. Parents who want to understand more about the school's instructional approach, how it supports students who are not yet on grade level, and what the trajectory looks like into fourth grade and beyond would be well served by asking the school directly. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from this record whether results are improving.
Data on special education services and English learner supports was not reported, so that piece of the picture is missing. Discipline data, chronic absenteeism, attendance, and staffing information were also absent from what was available. The Duval district brief search was exhausted without surfacing parent-relevant changes, so district-level context on recent policy shifts or investments could not be confirmed.
The housing market around the school's zip code reflects one of Jacksonville's more affordable pockets. Home values there are well below the Florida statewide average and also below the national average, and have dipped modestly over the past year. Rents are comparatively modest and have held roughly flat. For families already living in this part of north Jacksonville, affordability is not a barrier to staying; for families considering a move specifically to enroll here, the neighborhood offers accessible entry-level housing prices.
Jacksonville itself is a sprawling city in the midst of genuine expansion. The metro is growing at a pace well above the national average, and downtown is seeing a wave of new residential and commercial investment, from riverfront projects to a planned university graduate campus in LaVilla. North Jacksonville's relationship to that growth is less direct than the development concentrated along the St. Johns River, but the city's trajectory is real. The major employer base spans health care, logistics, the military, and financial services, giving the broader metro a diversified economic foundation.
For a family whose child is in kindergarten through the earliest elementary grades and who lives in this part of north Jacksonville, Becoming Collegiate Academy represents a charter option close to home, serving a community where nearly all students share similar economic circumstances. The academic results at the one tested grade are a legitimate concern, and a parent would want to sit down with school staff to understand what support structures are in place and what the school's longer-term plan looks like as it grows its grade band.
See more original research from School Decision →