JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The recent achievement of a first-ever “A” grade for Duval County Public Schools could be the beginning of potential growth for Jacksonville’s housing market.
When families consider buying a home, a quality school district that shows a promising performance is usually a key factor.
“Because of supply and demand, there’s a higher demand on houses that are in a county that’s rated ‘A’ than a county that’s rated ‘B,’” realtor David Elian said.
According to Redfin data, home prices in May averaged just over $313,000, approximately 4% lower than last year. Properties remained on the market for an average of 63 days, an 11-day increase compared to the previous year. And 100 fewer homes were sold in May of this year compared to last year.
Elian believes the DCPS A-rating could increase home prices.
“It’ll take a few months, you probably won’t see it immediately, but over the course of two, three, four months or a year, it’s going to really help our homeowners with their values of their of their homes,” he said. “It’s going to drive up demand, because more people will want to move here.”
DCPS Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier addressed the potential influx of new families to the district.
“We hope that we get our fair share of them,” he said. “That would be the most wonderful thing to help our financial situation.”
However, Bernier didn’t want parents to base their housing aspirations solely on school grades.
“I want people to make an informed choice. I want them to come visit, meet our principals, know what our schools can deliver, and then go back and make some decisions about what’s going to be the best for our student,” he said.
Overall, the “A” school grade is a win that could attract more students and inspire families to call Jacksonville home.
According to the state’s data, 59 DCPS schools improved to an “A” grade, including 45 from the district and 14 charter schools.
During a news conference earlier this week when Gov. Ron DeSantis announced DCPS’ improvement, he also said 71% of all schools in the state are now graded either “A” or “B” schools, and no district received a “D” or an “F.”
“You have to have accountability. You have to measure whether students are learning anything,” DeSantis said.
