Stanton College Preparatory School is ranked 4th in the nation by test scores in 2009. In past years, it has been #1 or #2. This is especially impressive because at Stanton, every student's test scores are counted. If you check some of the other top schools, only their IB students are included. Stanton College Preparatory School is an amazing and rigorous academic opportunity for residents of Jacksonville, Florida, which is all of Duval County.
The school admits student into two programs - Honors or IB (International Baccalaureate). It was converted to a magnet school in the 1980s and has become one of the premier academic public schools in the nation. This year's Valedictorian and 3 Salutatorians (all tied for GPA) are going to schools such as Harvard, and Princeton.
History of Stanton
The land for the original Stanton school was purchased after Emancipation by some African-American people in 1868 who wanted to build a school called the Florida Institute. The school building was delayed but finally built and named after Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of War, General Edwin McMasters Stanton. The building was burned in Jacksonville fires and rebuilt twice. In 1917 a brick building was erected which still stands at the corner of Ashley, Broad, Beaver and Clay Streets.
In 1953, the location was moved to a new facility at 13th Street and maintained its high standards as the best high school for African-American students. In 1981, the school was changed to a magnet school for the gifted students in the county and the name was changed to Stanton College Preparatory School.
Academic Offerings
Stanton offers only Honors, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual-enrollment courses. It is possible for students to graduate from Stanton with a full year or more of college courses completed. The 2008 IB class had a 92% pass rate, which far exceeds the world mean.
Admission to the Honors Program is decided by a lottery, making every effort to place students in their first choice school.
Admission to the IB Program is by invitation if the student is qualified to apply, then a limited number of students are admitted based on various academic and personal factors. The IB Program has evolved into one of the largest and most successful in the world, with over 600 students in grades 9-12.
There have been students so intellectually gifted that after only one year at Stanton, an ivy league school scooped them up. College Professors have even come to the school to work with exceptional students.
If you are considering a move to the Jacksonville area and you have a student who is academically gifted and motivated, then consider Stanton. We have friends whose children have graduated from Stanton and we know faculty there.
Stanton College Preparatory School
1149 West 13th Street
Jacksonville, FL 32209
(904) 630-6760
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