JACKSONVILLE – San Jose Schools will open a new charter high school on the Westside as of August 2022. Construction is underway for a new high school campus to serve students in grades 9-12.

It will be located on property at FSCJ Cecil Center at 5640 POW-MIA Parkway in Jacksonville.

The campus will be the first high school to be built on a college campus in the area. This school is a part of the local charter school network, San Jose Schools, a tuition-free, public charter school. There is no charge to families to attend a charter school in Florida. Charter schools accept all students who apply until all spaces are filled. At that time, students are chosen via lottery.

The new Westside school is named San Jose Early College at Cecil. Families from Duval, Clay and Nassau counties will be able to take advantage of its rigorous programming, which includes college prep, dual enrollment and career academies.

Career academies enable students to earn industry certifications and receive paid work experience in high-demand fields while still in high school.

“High-tech job opportunities are exploding on Jacksonville’s Westside, and that means that more families are moving to those neighborhoods. Families want school choices that help their children graduate career- and college-ready. We take a great deal of pride at San Jose Schools in knowing that we can offer our students large-school opportunities in small-school environments,” said Dr. Alan Hall, CEO of San Jose Schools.

San Jose Early College at Cecil is expected to open with 275 students in grades 9-12. The campus will include classroom space for traditional courses in addition to career education. The campus will also be the first high school in Northeast Florida to participate in Civil Air Patrol Squadron which will pair with our Aviation Academy.

“We are investing in space to teach students the skills they need for technology-centered careers,” said Ryan Rewey, Superintendent of Charter Schools at San Jose Schools. “We are laying the groundwork now to offer career academies in Culinary Arts, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Aviation and Logistics. All four of these fields are critical to Northeast Florida’s economic success and continued development.”

Principal Michelle Knapp keeping a full calendar of public events, which she leads via Zoom, at other schools and in public libraries, to introduce San Jose Schools to Westside families. The calendar is regularly updated at SanJoseCecil.org.