JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools has opened applications for school choice for the 2025-2026 school year, and the district is holding its annual showcase Saturday for elementary students.
School choice allows parents to send students to schools that beset fit their needs, regardless of their designated attendance zone.
And on Saturday, parents and students can show up to most elementary schools in Duval County to learn more about the school and what programs are available.
Tours are available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and parents do not need to register. They can just show up at the school that interests them.
Paula Renfro, the DCPS chief academic officer, said the showcase used to happen at the Prime Osborn Convention Center but changed to be held at the individual schools in 2023.
“When parents come to showcase Saturday, they can expect to see classrooms in action, talk to school administrators, learn a little bit more about the school and the programming that they offer,” Renfro said.
The showcase for DCPS middle and high schools will be Jan. 11.
The deadline to apply for specialized magnet schools is Jan. 31. Students are entered into a lottery system for selection. There is no guarantee of placement into a specific program
This year’s showcase comes as a handful of district elementary schools are closing at the end of this school year as a part of the Master Facility Plan. The closures are part of an effort to make up a more than $1.4 billion budget gap.
Among the schools that are closing are:
- Annie R. Morgan Elementary, merging into Biltmore Elementary
- Kings Trail Elementary merging into Beauclerc Elementary
- Susie E. Tolbert Elementary merging into S.P. Livingston Elementary
- R.V. Daniels Elementary merging into R.L. Brown Elementary
- Windy Hill Elementary merging into Southside Estates Elementary
DCPS says that within the last 10 years, the district lost about 30,000 students because of declining enrollment.
That is why Renfro says these showcases are significant.
“Duval County Public Schools has so many programming options for families that I think it is well worth families’ time to go and check them out,” she said.
Parents can also register their children for VPK. All they need are prepared documents, including a birth certificate, immunization records, a physical and proof of residency.