Kernan Middle School

2271 KERNAN BLVD S

School District

Duval County Public Schools
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Duval County Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 19, 2024

My daughter attends KMS and absolutely loves it! I have only wonderful things to say about their Principal, the GATE program, and their PTSA. Lots of amazing events highlighting music and art programs, talent shows, school carnivals, dances... always something fun happening on campus. Schedule a tour; you won't be disappointed.
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2024

Kernan middle school is a great neighborhood school that has served both of my gifted children well.
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2024

Kernan Middle School has served my children well, the teachers care deeply about each of their students, they are preparing the students for not just tests but for life.
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2024

Positive experience at Kernan Middle School for both of my children. Excellent teachers, diverse student body with programs, sports and activities for everyone
Submitted by parent on October 07, 2019

Save yourself 3 years of regression, no learning to progress and be prepared for the next level of high school.
Submitted by teacher on June 28, 2017

Both my kids are gifted and attended Kernan in the gifted program. They received a quality education and were very prepared for the AP/Honors program in high school. My son graduated ranked 18th in his class of 625 and my daughter is currently ranked 17th in her class.
Submitted by parent on April 07, 2017

Special needs/ESE, save your child from the regression and utter shameful "day camp" facility. Staff are so far from professionals let alone, teachers. Across all settings, staff appear to be at a job, not at a place where they are an integral part of a child's life. Push for all the online presence to increase their "free" access to achieve3000 by bribing kids to complete work on the site. This school may be the better in most in the county but they really are not in the business of educating any child.
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2017

My daughter is in 6th grade. For the orientation, the girls and boys were separated. The girls sat in a circle and talked about their feelings while the boys shot off a rocket. The girls were talked to extensively about the dress code. Nothing for the boys. The girls are constantly called out for dress code violations when there is nothing wrong with the outfit, but "the boys are distracted". My daughter has been called out for her clothes numerous times throughout the school year. She dresses conservatively. Yesterday they were going to give her in school suspension because she wore an outfit that covers her to just above her knee and covers her shoulders and chest, but her bra was dark enough to be seen through the white material. SHE IS 12! She has time to learn not to wear a dark bra under lighter clothes. My daughter wants to be an astrophysicist. She has wanted to be a surgeon for 8 years. Now, she hates school and doesn't care what she becomes. She is embarrassed to go to school because she knows someone will "dress code" her. What are they thinking?!?!
Submitted by other on September 23, 2016

Our child is in their second year at KMS. We have been pleasantly surprised by our experience at this neighborhood school. Our child is in all advanced classes and even attends a class for gifted students just like in elementary schools. Our child participates in sports and other activities. Maintains an A average. Our child has not missed anything academically speaking since coming to the school. The school provides a variety of opportunities for parent involvement and doors for communication with teachers and the principal. The teachers care. When my child has struggled with a subject, the teacher has been responsive and helpful - even offering tutoring as needed. The principal invites parents for chats on campus, fathers are invited to donuts with dad events several times a year and mothers to lunch on the green, there is open house with food trucks, family movie night, PTA, etc.. We were able to tour the school prior to registering, the sweet ladies in the front office patiently answered a ton of questions the summer before 6th grade and throughout the 6th grade school year. Both boys and girls were able to attend a get ready for 6th grade class the summer before school began. It is not a 100% perfect environment (it is middle school after all ... ) but we feel our child is safe, cared for by teachers; we feel we can communicate and receive a response from powers that be should any concerns arise, we feel our child is receiving a quality education in our neighborhood school.
Submitted by other on June 18, 2015

Like everybody, going into middle school scared me. I had heard interesting tidbits of information about middle school in general, and it did nothing to alleviate the worry and nerves that I felt. Midway through the summer between my fifth and sixth grade years, I received a letter from Kernan telling me that I was put into House C, and I promptly freaked out. I had been told that the letters stood for something: A was for amazing, B for best, and C for crazy, as well as the fact the House A was where they put all the smart kids, B was for the average, and C was for the kids who needed more help than others. I can say firsthand that this is utter lies. The letters don’t stand for anything, nor does the students get sorted into the houses based on smartness. I know this because I knew students who were better in a sport than they were in academics and were placed in House A, and I knew students who were astute and placed in House C. I drastically underestimated was the teachers. There are no words for how much thanks I owe them. I was placed into House C and had the best teachers ever. From my sixth grade year, I was placed into an advanced math class, taking pre-algebra in sixth grade, algebra in seventh grade, geometry in eighth grade, algebra two in ninth grade, and pre-calculus in tenth grade (a class that most students opt not to take). All of my other teachers at Kernan held me to a higher standard of sorts because of being in that math class and I am extremely thankful that they did. My teachers through all three years helped me expand my skills and hone them in the best way possible. For the most part, all my teachers have remained in House C but a few have been transferred to other houses, but that is okay, because the teachers at Kernan in general are amazing. I have friends who were in House A and House B that are following the same path that I am. Currently, I am in tenth grade, and in the Early College program. I start college in the fall and when I graduate May/June of 2017, I will have my AA degree, something that not everybody has the chance to get. After all of the preparation that I got at Kernan Middle, taking standard classes just wouldn’t cut it. It wouldn’t come even close. Had I gone to any other school, I am close to positive that I would have not entered the Early College program and would be on the path that I am now.
Submitted by other on April 22, 2015

Kernan middle is not like every other school, teachers don't spend their entire year preparing us for a state test but they spend time preparing us for life. The teachers are what make up a great school and kernan has that down pact. I haven't had a complaint about any teacher the school itself is built for greatness. It has a safe and relaxed environment for your children
Submitted by other on April 22, 2015

I was a student at Kernan Middle School from 2011-2014 and I had a great experience. I'm currently a freshman at Atlantic Coast High School in the AP Honors Program. Many of the Kernan Middle teachers actually want their students to learn something and truly care about their well-being. I had many teachers that I could talk to in a time of need. Bullying and fighting is not at all tolerated at Kernan Middle School. This school offers many sports, clubs and activities such as Volleyball, Theater Club, Mathletes, National Junior Honor Society and more. However, Kernan is not all fun and games. Education is very important and many things I learned there prepared me for my AP and Honors classes at Atlantic Coast. I very much enjoyed my years at Kernan Middle School and your student will too!
Submitted by other on April 22, 2015

As a freshman now at Sandalwood High School I realized how tough going through high school would be if I hadn't gone to Kernan. The teachers actually cared and wanted me to be successful in life. It was always a caring environment and staff and administration made sure of that. Kernan has sports, clubs, and just about anything your child could want from a school. I was glad I was there and I kinda wish I could go back
Submitted by other on April 22, 2015

As a freshman, I am attending Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Being the #2 school in Florida, you would imagine how defficult it is. Kernan helped me become organized and managing due dates. The teachers do care and while the prepare you for high school, they do it in a way that a child can enjoy himself. Simple obedience and hard work is all the require. It provided a safe and enjoyable environment. I had lots of friends and never had any problems with other schools. Really! None at all.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2015

Kernan middle school is a great place to get an education at . The teachers are very fundamental and care about there students getting there work done ! All the teachers are great and give there students millions of opportunity's to make sure they move up to the next grade level. I love Kernan middle school !
Submitted by other on April 22, 2015

Kernan middle school is a really great school. The teachers and staff there are amazing and they make you feel wanted. Everyone gets treated well and the adults there care for the students to do well and pass...
Submitted by other on January 24, 2014

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Submitted by other on October 05, 2013

I'm currently a Junior in high school attending Stanton and in the IB program and I honestly feel as if Kernan has not challenged me like it should have. Yeah it's not a magnet school, but still. After 'graduating' from middle school to high school I was completely overwhelmed by all the work I had to do in Stanton. I thought that I would be able to just breeze through tests without studying (as I did in Kernan) and wow was I wrong. In my 9th grade year I carried C's and D's and some B's and an A in HOPE.. All of my peers who attended schools such as Landon or JWJ or Kirby had an advantage over me and made me feel as if I did not belong at that school. Of course, I managed to adapt to the ways but it wasted my 9th grade year which I terribly regret. Anyways, if you want your child to be mentally and intellectually challenged, don't send them to Kernan. Otherwise, go ahead and enroll them in it.
Submitted by other on September 24, 2013

How does one decipher whether a school is good or not? Do they judge it by the appearance? Do they judge it by the aroma that escapes the cafeteria? Do they judge it by the kids? Well, I'll tell you one thing, there are many, many factors that play out when rating a school. For one thing, you would have to have experienced it, and I'm one of the many who have. To start off, I'd like to say that my disposition towards Kernan Middle School is that it is a COMMENDABLE school. The teachers are dedicated, the staff all share friendly faces, and the principle is outstanding! To judge Kernan on the outside, in my mind, is completely unheard of! I've told many this story, but when I first arrived at Kernan at the age of eleven, a brand new sixth grader, I was very uninspired in school. Though I made A's and B's, I didn't really put much effort into school. Kernan changed me. Kernan inspired me to push the limits and become who I am today. The new me is the one who puts the most effort into everything that they do. The new me is the one who goes the extra mile, just to make not only myself proud, but my teachers as well. Kernan is a caring wonderful school, and is by far my favorite.
Submitted by parent on August 17, 2013

My son will be starting 8th grade at KMS for the 13-14 school year which will be his 3rd and final year here and again in House A. This school is a 'comprehensive' middle school, meaning it is more on an advanced or gifted level. The teachers have been wonderful and so have the subjects he has studied. He will be starting honors math and Spanish 1 this year which will count towards High School credits. He has had hands on in all of his classes and has had no problems with anything here. The only complaint he has was his typing class in 7th grade and the cafeteria food. I don't know what other parents mean when they say there is no communication. I can email any of his teachers and most of the times they email me first. If I write a note, I'll get a response. This has been the same for any teachers on any grade level. This school also participated in the archery in schools program meaning in PE, you'll get to shoot a bow and arrow.