Feb. 22, 2024 – Duval’s Northside will soon receive another state-of-the-art facility with the construction of the new Pickett Elementary School, expected to open in August 2025. The new campus comes after the successful completion of Rutledge H. Pearson Elementary School in August 2023, and is expected to reach completion around the same time as Jean Ribault High School.
The rebuild of Pickett Elementary will result in the consolidation of Pickett, Reynolds Lane, and S.A. Hull elementary schools.
Stakeholders representing Pickett, Reynolds Lane, and S.A. Hull elementary schools began meeting in the fall of 2023 to discuss the transition to the new school campus. Under Duval County School Board policy these meetings are called the Consolidation Impact Review Process. The process enables stakeholders who live, work, and have children in the respective communities to discuss school academic programs, program continuity, name, colors, uniforms, and more that will impact the three schools upon consolidation.
Recommendations from the review group were sent to the superintendent for review after the conclusion of their third meeting which took place on Feb. 5. The process will conclude with a community meeting, where the review group’s recommendations will be presented. It is scheduled to take place at Pickett Elementary on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m.
What families need to know:
- Students attending Pickett Elementary will temporarily attend school on the campus of S.A. Hull Elementary School for the 2024-25 school year.
- The two schools will operate as two separate entities on the same campus.
- Transportation will be provided for families that qualify.
- Families needing transportation will need to apply for bus services.
- Reynolds Lane Elementary students will continue operations as normal while Pickett is under construction.
- All three schools (Pickett, Reynolds Lane, and S.A. Hull) will transition to the new school upon completion.
What’s next for Reynolds Lane and S.A. Hull:
- The district has reserved funds to raze the S.A. Hull building and return the property to a greenspace to prevent deterioration into blight in the neighborhood. While the district is committed to preventing blight, the district is also open to considering sound plans for potential adaptive re-use of buildings scheduled for demolition.
- Reynolds Lane is slated to become a facility for Exceptional Student Education.
Learn more about the Pickett Elementary project by visiting its new school project webpage.
