Back to School 2021: Two New Schools Join the St. Johns County School District To Serve Nearby Riverside Homes Communities of Settler’s Landing at Nocatee and SilverLeaf

Just in time for the start of the 2021-2022 school year, Tocoi Creek High School and Pine Island Academy, a K-8 school, are the latest additions to open in the top-rated and rapidly expanding St. Johns County School District. Both schools are zoned to include residents living in two of Riverside Homes’ new home communities in Northeast Florida. High school-aged students living in the master-planned community of SilverLeaf will attend Tocoi Creek High School while elementary and middle school-aged students living in Settler’s Landing at Nocatee will attend Pine Island Academy. Home to the #1-ranked K-12 public school district in Florida, St. Johns County has experienced significant growth over the last two decades and in 2019 was named the eighth-fastest growing county in the United States. With its population more than doubling since 2000, the school district has continued to strategically build schools to accommodate the county’s growing number of families and address the overcrowding of schools.

Tocoi Creek High School

Named after a tributary of the St. Johns River which was once home to a settlement of Native Americans, Tocoi High School is located at 11200 St. Johns Parkway in northwest St. Johns County. The school will initially operate with students in ninth, tenth and eleventh grades and will add twelfth grade for the following 2022-23 academic year. Planned capacity is for roughly 2,100 students and will relieve overcrowding from Nease High School. The Tocoi High School campus is comprised of five separate buildings — an administration/media center, auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria and main classroom wing — surrounding a courtyard. The high school’s recently decided upon mascot is the Toros.

Pine Island Academy

As fourth site donated by Nocatee’s developer to the St. John’s County School District, Pine Island Academy will continue the tradition of education as an important cornerstone of the Nocatee lifestyle. Pine Island Academy, a K-8 school, is located at 805 Pine Island Road which is situated within the Nocatee development in the northeast area of the county. Pine Island is a geographical feature at the westernmost point of Pine Island Road where the school is built. The name is a nod to the geographical reference point given by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when the area was used as a base in the 1940s, including a canal it dug to make travel and transport more efficient to surrounding areas.

The school will accommodate approximately 1,500 students and is zoned for students residing in the new home Ponte Vedra communities of: Addison Park, Coastal Oaks, Daniel Park at Town Center, Enclave at Town Center, Lakeside at Town Center, Siena at Town Center, Pioneer Village at Crosswater, Liberty Cove at Crosswater, Heritage Trace at Crosswater, Freedom Landing at Crosswater, Franklin Square at Crosswater, West End at Town Center, Anthem Ridge at Crosswater, Tidewater, and Riverside Homes’ newest community of Settler’s Landing. Nocatee’s newest school is designed with movable walls for instruction in both traditional and non-traditional settings. Classroom areas, for example, will accommodate groupings by grade or by multi-age students in a teamed teaching approach. This schools’ spaces include 32 primary classrooms; 22 intermediate classrooms; six science labs; as well as resources rooms; skills labs; art rooms; music rooms; physical education spaces; dining facilities; and auditorium, office and custodial spaces. Pine Island Academy’s school colors are purple and gray with an official mascot of the Dolphins. Riverside Homes’ residents living in Settler’s Landing at Nocatee can enjoy the added benefit of being just a short walk or bike ride away from nearby Pine Island Academy.

“We understand the importance of education. The fact that our Northeast Florida communities are located in A-rated school districts is no coincidence,” shared Andrea Johnson, Online Sales and Marketing Director of Riverside Homes. St. Johns County truly offers a quality of life that is unmatched from its old-world charm and beautiful coastline to world-class communities and top-rated schools. If you are interested in learning more about building with Riverside Homes in Settler’s Landing at Nocatee or SilverLeaf Village to take advantage of all St. Johns County has to offer please give us a call at 904-530-4720.