Bulldozers are officially rolling on Jacksonville’s Northside, where crews this week started work on a brand-new Pickett Elementary campus that district leaders say will reshape neighborhood elementary education. The new school is set to replace and consolidate students from nearby campuses into one modern facility, with an opening projected for August 2027.
A formal groundbreaking ceremony was set for noon Tuesday at the construction site off Old Kings Road near Pritchard Road, according to Eventbrite. Construction teams had already moved in the day before to clear and prep the lot.
Where the money comes from
The project is funded with revenue from the 15-year half-cent sales surtax that Duval County voters approved in November 2020 to pay for school replacements, upgrades and safety work, according to WJCT. Coverage last December of the district’s master facilities plan highlighted two new elementary schools expected to come online in 2027 as part of the same long-range effort.
Plans and project history
Duval County Public Schools’ 2023 quarterly project summaries show that Pickett was initially envisioned as an on-site prototype replacement, with a then-current budget of about $28.5 million and capacity for roughly 650 student stations, according to district documents. Those records also outline early design work focused on combining programs and services under the broader master facilities plan, with consolidation needs identified during Phase I design.
What officials announced at the site
By the time officials grabbed their ceremonial shovels, the scope had grown. The project is now being described as nearly $34.9 million, designed to serve about 980 students, and the future Pickett is planned to bring together students from Pickett, Reynolds Lane and S.A. Hull, with doors expected to open in August 2027, as reported by News4JAX. Neighbors at the ceremony embraced the investment in the area, with Wayne Milliner telling News4JAX, "It comes with the program, school is good."
