An Episcopal congregation in St. Johns County has partnered with an education group to bring a new private K–8 school to Ponte Vedra, citing increased demand for faith-based schooling options.
The proposed Episcopal School of Ponte Vedra would rise on 11 acres of the 45-acre campus of St. Francis-in-the-Field Episcopal Church at 895 Palm Valley Road.
“We’re super excited about the partnership with the Episcopal School of Ponte Vedra,” Rev. Justin Yawn, rector of St. Francis-in-the-Field, told The Citizen. “There is a longing for a mainline Protestant Christian education in northeast St. Johns County. There currently isn’t an option anywhere near where we are.”
The church will lease the land to the school, which would be developed behind the existing church campus that currently includes a building and a preschool.
Plans call for a two-story academic facility and athletic fields, a track, parking, and related infrastructure.
The school is designed to serve up to 850 students in kindergarten through eighth grade and is estimated to cost $38 million, according to education consultant and developer Taylor Smith.
Construction is expected to take approximately 16 months from groundbreaking, with a planned opening in 2027, pending final approvals.
Yawn said interest in the school has grown quickly within the congregation and beyond as the area continues to develop.
The church itself has expanded rapidly, growing from about 150 Sunday worshipers in 2022 to roughly 400 today, representing close to 1,000 families.
“We’re already hearing from parishioners and their friends asking when the school will open and when they can sign up,” Yawn said. “We have parishioners who live as far away as Orange Park and Atlantic Beach who are interested.”
Smith, a Jacksonville native with more than 30 years of experience in school development, said the school will follow the Episcopal tradition built around four pillars: academic excellence, athletics, fine arts and spiritual development.
“That fourth pillar is what makes it special,” he told The Citizen. “It’s a balance. We’re welcoming families of all religions. You don’t have to be a Christian to attend.”
The Episcopal School of Ponte Vedra will accept state education vouchers and will be a member of the National Episcopal Association of Schools.
A national search is underway for a founding principal.
The project received unanimous approval for a special use permit, but an appeal filed by six residents of the nearby Walden Chase neighborhood has delayed progress.
The group has broached traffic and congestion concerns near their subsdivision.
Despite that hurdle, Smith said confidence in the project remains high.
“I’ve been involved in education ecosystems for over 30 years,” he said. “This is the most exciting project I’ve ever worked on.”
