Across the county, 18 Duval County public schools will begin the 2026-27 school year with new principals at the helm.
The changes affect elementary, middle and high schools, along with Duval Virtual Instruction Academy. While many of the new leaders are veteran principals transferring to different campuses, six are earning their first principal positions after serving as assistant principals in Duval County Public Schools.
Here's a look at the 18 principals who will be leading schools across the Jacksonville area this school year.
Duval County Public Schools has appointed 18 new principals for the 2026-27 school year.
The Duval County School Board approved principal assignments for 16 schools during its June 2 meeting, including 12 elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and Duval Virtual Instruction Academy.
Appointments for one additional high school and one elementary school were scheduled for School Board approval at its July 1 meeting, bringing the total number of new principal assignments to 18 for the upcoming school year.
The 18 newly appointed principals in Duval County Public Schools were scheduled to start leading their schools on July 1, ahead of the start of the 2026-27 school year.
The full list of schools in Duval County getting new principals for 2026-27:
Duval Virtual Instruction: Candice Mixson
Arlington Elementary: Tiffany Green
Biltmore Elementary: Jessica Sales
Crown Point Elementary: Katie O'Connell
Dinsmore Elementary: Matthew Peterson
Greenfield Elementary: Davina Parker
Hyde Park Elementary: Shana Adams
Holiday Hill Elementary: Brett Hartley
Mayport Elementary: Abigail Watson
Normandy Village Elementary: Shalane Peterson
Pickett Elementary: Charlene James
Samuel A. Hull Elementary: Nikesha White
San Jose Elementary: Adam Barr
Spring Park Elementary: Cindy Gentry
Fletcher Middle School: Mercedes Galvez
Joseph Stilwell Middle School: Trevor Clayton
Atlantic Coast High School: Marleny Chirino
Englewood High School: Abraham Reising
Duval County Public Schools filled its latest principal openings through a mix of internal promotions and outside hiring.
Two of the new principals were promoted from within their own schools. Mercedes Galvez, now leading Fletcher Middle School, and Nikesha White, the new principal at Samuel A. Hull Elementary School, previously served as assistant principals at those campuses.
The district also hired one principal from outside Duval County. Candice Mixson, the new principal of Duval Virtual Instruction, most recently worked in Orange County Public Schools in Central Florida, where she served as both an assistant principal and a teacher.
According to Superintendent Christopher Bernier, the appointments followed the district's principal selection process, which included interviews and input from stakeholders, community members and district leaders.
"We expect you always to keep student achievement and student safety at the forefront," Bernier told the newly promoted principals in June.
He said the selection process was designed to identify strong leaders for each school, adding that district leaders and local communities had chosen "exceptional leaders."
The first day of school for Duval County Public Schools is Monday, August 10, 2026.
The first day of school for students in the St. Johns County School District is Monday, August 10, 2026.
The first day of school for students in the St. Johns County School District is Monday, August 10, 2026.
Thirty-eight of Florida's 67 counties will start the 2026-2027 school year on the earliest possible date, Monday, Aug. 10. The latest start date in Florida — for three counties — is Thursday, Aug. 13.
See breakdown by county on when the 2026-2027 Florida school year will start:
Washington: Wednesday, Aug. 12
Doris Alvarez is a Breaking and Trending Reporter for The Florida Times-Union. You can get all of Jacksonville's best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free Daily Briefing and News Alerts newsletters at jacksonville.com/newsletters
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 18 Duval County schools have a new principal for 2026-27. See list