The St. Johns County School District is moving ahead with plans to build a high school in the sprawling Silverleaf community | Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today
Published on November 11, 2026 at 1:17 pm
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The St. Johns County School Board has approved plans for a new high school in the sprawling Silverleaf community, with plans to open the school in time for the 2029-30 school year.
The school district is moving along as quickly as it can to expand its roster of schools as the county’s population continues to grow.
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“A lot of people say, ‘Do you really need another high school? You’ve just opened Tocoi Creek High School, you’ve just opened Beachside,’” district director of facilities planning Nicole Cubbedge told the School Board Tuesday. “Well, both of those are six and five years old at this point.”
Cubbedge says the new school on County Road 16A will help reduce overcrowding in nearby schools like Tocoi Creek.
Silverleaf, a growing community
The new high school in Silverleaf, currently referred to only by a codename, “JJJ,” will accommodate more than 2,100 students, Cubbedge says, many of whom will come directly from the Silverleaf community.
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And it can’t come any faster — Silverleaf, which Cubbedge says is only around 25% completed, is planned to expand to include up to 18,000 homes, eventually generating enough high school students to fill an entire school.
Tuesday’s approval of plans for School JJJ gives the district the green light to work on construction drawings and put out bids for contractors to handle the project.
