Timbertrace Subdivision in Julington Creek - Hickory Creek Elementary School? (Plantation: renting, month-to-month) - Jacksonville - Florida (FL) - City-Data Forum

jaxherewego · 03-22-2011, 12:07 AM

We are looking to buy a property located in the subdivision of Timbertrace in Julington Creek. We have a kid on first grade. When I went to the St. Johns County School locator, it indicates that for houses in that location the school of attendance is Hickory Creek Elementary, which is located 6.5 miles away! Which makes no sense having Julington Creek Elementary located just 1 mile away...
Anyone that can confirm or explain if kids living at Timbertrace have to attend Hickory Creek Elementary?
Thank you!!!

fakeblonde · 05-01-2011, 10:25 PM

HI, Jaxherewego, I will be glad to help you. We have been in Timber Trace for a year and a half now. You must be VERY careful when purchasing a house around here; a lot of the realtors are not above-board, and will not give you all the facts! They just want to sell a house. (Sorry to the good ones, but that is the way it is.) I am glad to see you are doing your own checking.

It is true that Timber Trace is zoned for Hickory Creek. I am in total agreement with you that this is completely illogical, considering we are less than a mile from Julington Creek Elementary! I, too, was very upset about it, but then I found out that you could fill out a "hardship request" to go to Julington if you want to. You have to fill it out every year, but I was told by the school district that they always approve our neighborhood without question, since we are so close. The only way it would become an issue is if JCE suddenly become overcrowded...but the school has been declining in recent years, so I don't see that as a problem.

Most of the kids over here go to Julington... We do have some, however, whose parents opt for them to go to Hickory because they get a bus to school, and parents do not have to drive them or bicycle/walk to Julington Creek Elementary. Fortunately, both Hickory and Julington are very good schools, so you really can't go wrong either way. We went to Hickory for a year, and prefer Julington...we just find it much warmer and like being close to home. But, like I said, you have a choice.

The other thing to be careful about with Timber Trace is that some of the homes are in the CDD and some are not. It can be nice if you don't WANT to pay $700+ a year for the pools, but if you DO, make sure you buy a house that is included in it. Let me know if you decided to move this way; we always LOVE to meet new kids in the neighborhood!

fakeblonde · 06-20-2011, 06:33 PM

Just to let you know, I heard recently that St. Johns County is getting to rezone its schools again...I am not sure when this will take effect, or how it will affect Timber Trace. But since JCE is not super-crowded, and Durbin Creek is busting at the seams...there is some talk of moving some of those kids over to JCE. I am hoping they will just move back to the ORIGINAL plan of having all of JCP go to Julington Creek Elementary. I get the impression from the people I have talked to at the school board that they also don't understand how Timber Trace could have ended up at Hickory... Time will tell.

ALSO, news on the CDD front: they have started letting non-members pay month-to-month. I did this last year, for the old pool...and now I am doing it this year for the new one. It's a "yearly membership" BUT...it's like the Y, there is no contract, so I'll let you draw your own conclusions... They seem to have lightened up a bit on non-members. I think maybe it's because the pool is not near as crowded as they had worried about, and maybe because in a bad economy, they want the money! Also...I don't think there are many people trying to join outside of JCP. It wouldn't really make sense for them to do that; it's not that close, and it really is a "community" pool where you would feel outta place, I think.

Anyway...it's all working out for us, and we are happy.

hlauburn · 06-20-2011, 08:35 PM

I don't have any info about the particular schools you're asking about, but I can say that when it come to St Johns County schools and zoning, much of it makes no sense.

Our elementary school for Nocatee is over 12 miles away in Ponte Vedra Beach. And the worst part is - we pass right by another elementary school on the way! We cross over an entire zone on the drive to our school. Apparently the closer school is "on diversion" because of overcrowding. I think people generally prefer the school we're zoned for, so they don't really complain, but the drive is really long, especially for little kids on a bus.

Rumor is we will eventually get a school across the street, but since I'm not holding my breath and I don't really want my kids to switch to the closer school, I guess I'm stuck with the long drive.

jaxherewego · 06-21-2011, 02:17 PM

Thanks for your answer Fakeblonde! We ended up buying a house at the Cunningham Creek Plantation. I agree with you that most realtors are just careless and you have to find out all the CDDs info and school boundaries info on your own, or you may encounter some BIG surprises after you buy.

I liked that Timber Trace is a lot closer to the supermarkets and Mandarin stores, but we are really happy with our neighborhood and we are at walking distance to the Cunningham Creek Elementary School.

fakeblonde · 07-21-2011, 06:50 PM

Agreed! Glad things worked out for you!!! I have heard great things about Cunningham, too, and the good thing about where you are at: it's virtually impossible for them to change your zoned elementary school on you!

As for me -- I'm biting my fingernails waiting for the school board to decide what they are going to do next! It's a real pain; not a great way to live. Not only might my elementary student get booted out of his own neighborhood, but my middle schooler as well...yuck! I will SERIOUSLY consider selling or renting our home and moving if that happens...

Hope you enjoy your new home.

fakeblonde · 12-21-2011, 07:46 AM

Well, the rezoning goes into effect next year, and this time it's Durbin Crossing & the other end of JCP affected... Bottom line is, you never know what the school board is going to do, and they really can't predict the economy problems/growth, so it is what is is...unfortunately.

As for Timber Trace, we were not affected, and the children will still be zoned for Fruit Cove Middle & Hickory, BUT will still be give the option to file a request for Julington, which I do not presume will be a problem. Some people on this side of JCP like sending their kids to school on a "bus" (convenient for working parents)...for those who prefer the closer school, where you can drop off or bike if you want, there is Julington. I was told by the powers-that-be that since we are SO CLOSE, they will honor requests from T.T. residents.