ORANGE PARK – Some lucky students will be attending a new school – a school that will give them a classical education in academics and the arts and is as interested in building a strong character as much as it is in providing a classic education.

St. Johns Classical Academy on Fleming Island is an above-average public charter school. It has 698 students in grades pre-kindergarten-through-12th grade, with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1. According to state test scores, 61% of students are proficient in math and 67% in reading.

But 1,300 potential students are waiting to get into the Fleming Island school and there’s no capacity for them. That’s why the new Orange Park location will be at 1324 Kingsley Ave., where the Orange Park Performing Arts Academy used to be.

Headmaster Matt Johnson will oversee both schools. He is excited about the possibilities, which is starting with kindergarten-through-fourth grade classes. Johnson said there are plans to add a new grade each year until a senior class joins the curriculum. It’s the same model used at the Fleming Island school.

There were plans to build a new school in Lake Asbury, but increasing mortgage and bond rates and construction costs prompted school officials to find an existing facility. They found it on Kingsley.

Instruction at the academy is rigorous but kind. The students are encouraged to meet and exceed their capabilities. For example, kindergarteners are already diagramming sentences, moving beyond learning their ABCs and simple reading. In their music classes, some children as young as kindergarteners are learning to read music and understand rhythms. Athletics are added to the curriculum to round out the students.

The school also focuses on the mind and character, with an emphasis placed on virtue.

The school motto is “Learn the True. Do the Good. Love the Beautiful.” A list given to students – SJCA Standards of Virtue – guides their education. These nine virtues are as follows: citizenship, courage, honesty, humility, integrity, perseverance, respect, responsibility and wisdom.

The school also has Virtue Rewards. Fellow students and teachers accept nominations for the scholar of the quarter to reinforce the gratitude and appreciation for those who work hard and well.

In its “Who We Are” statement, the school’s mission is made known: “St. John’s Classical Academy seeks to provide an excellent and distinctive education that pursues knowledge, promotes virtue and prepares scholars for civic responsibility. SJCA is committed to building intelligent, virtuous American citizens. St. John’s Classical Academy is a tuition-free, Hillsdale College member charter school dedicated to providing classical education for Northeast Florida scholars.”

In the fall of 2023, parents of school-age children and residents can participate in the virtue-oriented academy on the county’s northern end.