Liberty Pines Academy, Saint Johns FL

Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Pines Academy

Liberty Pines Academy is a pre-K through eighth grade public school in Saint Johns, sitting inside one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida. The school is large for its grade band, with enrollment spread across every grade from kindergarten through eighth. It serves a predominantly white student population, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group, followed by students identifying as two or more races and Asian students. A relatively small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the broader economic character of Saint Johns as an affluent, master-planned suburb positioned between Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available in the data provided.

Academically, Liberty Pines performs well. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency across tested grades runs from the low-to-mid seventies through the mid-eighties, with third grade and sixth grade showing the strongest results and seventh grade sitting at the lower end of that range. ELA proficiency follows a somewhat similar arc, strongest in third grade and relatively consistent through the middle grades, with fifth grade coming in a bit lower than the others. On the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, eighth graders post strong results, while fifth graders come in noticeably lower; a parent whose child is entering fifth grade may want to ask the school how science instruction is structured at that level. Taken together across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in St. Johns County, a comparison that admittedly covers only two districts in the county.

No graduation rate applies here because the school does not serve high school grades. AP courses, dual enrollment, and career pathways are similarly not applicable for the same reason. Program details beyond the core tested curriculum were not available in the data.

The Saint Johns housing market is expensive. Typical home values sit well above both the Florida state median and the national median, and while values have dipped modestly over the past year, the cost of entry remains high. Rents are also elevated and represent a meaningful share of median household income. For families weighing a move into this attendance zone, housing cost is a real variable.

On the district side, St. Johns County voters in November 2024 approved two measures worth knowing. A new one-mill property tax increase, publicly reported as passing with voter support, is dedicated to teacher and staff salaries, school safety, mental health counselors, nurses, and programs like science, art, music, and athletics. It runs for a defined term and adds directly to a homeowner's tax bill. Separately, voters renewed the district's half-cent capital sales surtax, which funds school construction, technology, and safety upgrades and has historically helped the district keep pace with its rapid enrollment growth. The surtax rate is publicly reported as the lowest among neighboring northeast Florida counties.

Saint Johns itself is organized almost entirely around master-planned communities rather than a traditional downtown. Growth shows no sign of slowing, with large projects like SilverLeaf, Nocatee, and newer developments continuing to add housing and commercial space. Major employers in the area include Flagler Health, the school district itself, and retail concentrated in the Durbin Park corridor. Walkability and civic infrastructure details were not available in the data.

Liberty Pines fits a family that wants a large neighborhood public school with strong academic outcomes in a growing, high-income suburb, and whose children will be spending their elementary and middle years in one building before transitioning to a separate high school campus.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 384%

School 84% · District 79% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 79% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 81% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 771%

School 71% · District 63% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 83% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 378%

School 78% · District 77% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 75% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 20 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 73% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 76% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 776%

School 76% · District 74% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 75% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 71% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 75% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolST. JOHNS, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income64%Higher-income82%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income77%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income73%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income64%Higher-income78%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income81%36 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income60%Higher-income78%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income78%Higher-income86%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income77%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income63%Higher-income76%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income62%Higher-income87%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income64%Higher-income74%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income78%Higher-income81%2 pp gap