The largest school selection in Putnam County.
Palatka is the county seat of Putnam County and the largest city in the district, so it has the broadest school choice of any town we cover: four traditional public schools, the district's alternative learning center, two public charter schools, and a handful of well-established private K–12s.1 Every claim below is footnoted to a primary source — Putnam County School District (PCSD), the Florida Department of Education, GreatSchools, or each school's own published materials.
Where Palatka is unusual: it doesn't have a stand-alone middle school. Sixth-graders attend their zoned K–6 elementary, and grades 7–12 all attend Palatka Junior-Senior High School on Mellon Road.2 (Note: Robert H. Jenkins, Jr. Elementary School continues to operate in Interlachen as part of Putnam County School District.)
Palatka public schools (Putnam County School District)
Kelley Smith Elementary School
141 Kelley Smith School Road, Palatka, FL 32177. Enrollment around 752 students. Offers Gifted & Talented services and a Cambridge International curriculum.3
James A. Long Elementary School
1400 Old Jacksonville Road, Palatka, FL 32177. Enrollment around 565 students with a student-teacher ratio of about 19:1. Long Elementary offers Gifted & Talented services and a Cambridge International curriculum.5
William D. Moseley Elementary School
1100 Husson Avenue, Palatka, FL 32177 (the campus sits on the east side of the river and serves a number of Palatka and adjacent East Palatka addresses). Enrollment around 585 students.6
Mellon Learning Center
301 Mellon Road, Palatka, FL 32177. Formerly Mellon Elementary, this is now PCSD's alternative school serving roughly 291 students PK–12.7 It received a "Maintaining" school-improvement rating from FL DOE in 2023–24 rather than a traditional A–F grade.4
Palatka Junior-Senior High School
302 Mellon Road, Palatka, FL 32177. Phone (386) 329-0577. School motto: "Pride. Honor. Success." Mascot: Panthers.8 Football plays at Veteran's Memorial Stadium; baseball at The Azalea Bowl.
Programs & academics. The school states it offers up to 16 Advanced Placement courses (subject to enrollment) and runs 11 Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs.8 U.S. News reports an AP participation rate of 48%.9
Sports & activities. Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, wrestling, flag football, softball, and volleyball. Clubs include Band, Chess, Competition Cheer, Esports, FCA, Fishing Club, NHS, and Student Government.8
Charter schools in Palatka
The Children's Reading Center Charter School
7901 Saint Johns Avenue, Palatka, FL 32177. A tuition-free public charter serving roughly 260–275 students. Strong proficiency outcomes: about 87% of students scored at or above proficient in math and 77% in reading on the most recent state assessment.11
Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences
310 South Palm Avenue, Palatka, FL 32177. A tuition-free public charter middle school serving roughly 195–200 students drawn from across Putnam County. Student-teacher ratio about 22:1.12
Private schools in Palatka
Peniel Baptist Academy
110 Peniel Church Road, Palatka, FL 32177. Enrollment around 222 students with a 10:1 student-teacher ratio. Baptist affiliation; accredited by FACCS and Middle States.13 The largest, most established private K–12 in Putnam County.
Hillcrest Academy
2009 President Street, Palatka, FL 32177. Enrollment around 74 students; student-teacher ratio about 16:1.14
River Christian Academy
3111 Saint Johns Avenue, Palatka, FL 32177. Enrollment around 165 students.15
St. Johns Christian School
938 West River Road, Palatka, FL 32177.16
Bus routes & commute notes
Within the city of Palatka, bus commutes are short — most elementary students live within a few miles of their zoned school. PCSD Transportation handles all bus routing and stop assignments; call 386-329-0553 with a specific address to confirm route and pickup time.1 Families in outlying rural Palatka addresses or in East Palatka may see longer routes; we can pull the projected bus time for any property you're touring.
Notable programs at Palatka schools
- Cambridge International curriculum — offered at Kelley Smith Elementary and James A. Long Elementary.35
- Gifted & Talented services — Kelley Smith, Long, and others.3
- 16 Advanced Placement (AP) courses — Palatka Jr.-Sr. High.8
- 11 CTE programs at Palatka Jr.-Sr. High, including career academies.8
- Fishing Club — a Palatka Jr.-Sr. High student club that's a Putnam County signature.8
What this means for Palatka home-buyers
The practical impact of Palatka's school layout on your home search comes down to three things:
1. Most of Palatka feeds into one of three elementaries. Inside the city limits and the immediate ring around it, you'll generally be zoned for Kelley Smith, James A. Long, or — for addresses across the river or to the southeast — Moseley (on Husson Avenue, on Palatka's east side). Kelley Smith currently carries the highest state grade (B) of the three.4 If a specific elementary matters to you, ask us to confirm zoning before you tour.
2. Every middle-and-high-school-age student in the Palatka zone attends Palatka Jr.-Sr. High. There's no longer a stand-alone Palatka-zone middle school, so your 7th–12th-graders share a single campus. That's a positive for sibling logistics — one pickup line, one calendar, one bus route — and it's why families with multiple kids often gravitate toward homes inside Palatka proper rather than spreading across rural zones.8
3. The charter and private options are clustered in town. Children's Reading Center Charter is on Saint Johns Avenue and Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences is downtown on Palm Avenue, so both are reachable from most Palatka neighborhoods.1112 Peniel Baptist Academy sits east of downtown on Peniel Church Road.13 A Palatka address gives you the widest set of school choices in Putnam County without a long drive.
How to verify the zoned school for a Palatka address
If you're working with us, just send us the address — 386-916-8707 — and we'll confirm before you write an offer.
Frequently asked questions
What public schools serve Palatka, FL?
Within Palatka proper: Kelley Smith Elementary (K–6), James A. Long Elementary (PK–6), Mellon Learning Center (PK–12 alternative), and Palatka Junior-Senior High School (7–12). William D. Moseley Elementary on Husson Avenue (east side of Palatka) also serves a number of Palatka and East Palatka addresses.1
Is there a stand-alone middle school in Palatka?
No. Palatka has no stand-alone middle school. Sixth-graders attend their zoned K–6 elementary; grades 7–12 attend Palatka Jr.-Sr. High School on Mellon Road.2 (Robert H. Jenkins, Jr. Elementary School still operates as a K–6 elementary in Interlachen, in the same district.)
What is Palatka Jr.-Sr. High School's graduation rate?
The 4-year cohort graduation rate at Palatka Jr.-Sr. High has run approximately 87–91% in recent years per Niche aggregated data.10
Are there charter schools in Palatka?
Yes — two: Children's Reading Center Charter School (K–6, A grade in 2023–24) and Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences (6–8 charter middle school).1112
What are the best private schools in Palatka?
Peniel Baptist Academy is the largest and most established private K–12 in the area (PK–12, Baptist, ~222 students, FACCS & Middle States accredited).13 Other options include Hillcrest Academy, River Christian Academy, and St. Johns Christian School.
Sources
- Putnam County School District (official site). https://www.putnamschools.org/. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- First Coast News, "Palatka seeks input for community center at Jenkins Middle School" (school-closure background). firstcoastnews.com. Accessed 2026-06-30. Overturf closure background via PublicSchoolReview: publicschoolreview.com.
- Kelley Smith Elementary School, GreatSchools profile. greatschools.org. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- Putnam County School District, "PCSD School Grades — 2023–24 Results." putnamschools.org/article/1686440. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- James A. Long Elementary School, GreatSchools profile. greatschools.org. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- William D. Moseley Elementary School, PCSD page. putnamschools.org/o/moseley. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- Mellon Learning Center, U.S. News profile. usnews.com. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- Palatka Junior-Senior High School, official site (academics & athletics). pjshs.putnamschools.org. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- U.S. News & World Report, "Palatka High School." usnews.com. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- Niche, "Palatka Jr.-Sr. High School." niche.com. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- The Children's Reading Center Charter, GreatSchools profile. greatschools.org. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences (official site). putnamacademy.org. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- Peniel Baptist Academy (official site). penielwarriors.org. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- Hillcrest Academy, PrivateSchoolReview profile. privateschoolreview.com. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- River Christian Academy, Niche profile. niche.com. Accessed 2026-06-30.
- St. Johns Christian School (official site). sjcsfl.org. Accessed 2026-06-30.
Related Parham Team guides
Want us to verify the zoned school for a Palatka home?
Send us the address. We'll call the district and confirm — no charge, no pressure.
Call The Parham Team · (386) 916-8707