Paxon High School

Paxon School for Advanced Studies

Motto	“Caritas, Constantia, Excellentia, Integritas”
Type	Magnet school—College Preparatory
Established	1954
Principal	Royce Turner, Ed.D
Administrative staff	107
Students	1,492
Address	3239 Norman E Thagard Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Colors	Navy Blue █ and Gold █
Nickname	PSAS; Pax
Mascot	Golden Eagle
Website	www.duvalschools.org/psas

Paxon School for Advanced Studies (PSAS) is one of three International Baccalaureate senior high schools (the others being Stanton College Preparatory School, and Jean Ribault High School) in Duval County, Florida. According to the College Board's Advanced Placement Report, Paxon has one of the strongest math and science Advanced Placement programs in the state of Florida, right behind their rival school Stanton College Preparatory School. Because of this accomplishment, Paxon is one of a select group of Florida schools invited to apply for the Siemens Advanced Placement High School Award. Only ten to fifteen schools per state are invited to apply. Some valedictorians have been accepted to the United States Naval Academy and different Ivy League schools.

Paxon High School was originally named Paxon Field Junior-Senior High School when it was built in 1954. It included 7th through 12 grades until 1957, when Paxon Junior High was built nearby. In 1996, Paxon became a college preparatory school and an International Baccalaureate school, and took on its present-day name. Today, Paxon considers its chief rival to be Stanton College Preparatory School, another Jacksonville IB school. In 2008, Paxon School for Advanced Studies was ranked number 8 of the 100 best high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine; 17th in 2007, 28th in 2006, 7th in 2005 and 3rd in 2003.

The site where the school was built was Paxon Air Field, where Bessie Coleman was killed in a plane accident in 1926. Coleman was the first African American (male or female) to become an airplane pilot, and the first American of any race or gender to hold an international pilot license. Paxon Field was Jacksonville's first airfield, with the exception of the beaches. The Navy used the (grass) airfield for training during World War II, but eventually declared the site excess in January 1947.

The Paxon School faculty consists of over 100 teachers whose awards range from district Teacher of the Year to National Board Certification. The 88-acre (360,000 m²) campus includes athletic facilities, a swimming pool, a professional grade television production studio, science labs, and a theater. Sports teams include football, golf, soccer, lacrosse, stickball, wrestling, and bowling, many of which have competed at district and regional levels. Social clubs include the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and Youth Leadership for Change. Since becoming an academic magnet, Paxon SAS has seen 3 principals, Dr. James A. Williams (Founder) 1996-2006, Mrs. Carol H. Daniels 2006-2009, and Dr. Royce Turner 2009–present.