Arlington Grammar School No. 46

Arlington Grammar School No. 46. . , Arlington Grammar School was built in 1921 to serve the children of white families living in an area of approximately 48 square miles stretching from the St. Johns River on the west eastward to what is today St. Johns Bluff Road and from the St. Johns River on the north southward to the Hogan–Spring Glen area along Beach Boulevard. The school cost approximately $40,000 to build, and was paid partly by the Duval County Board of Public Instruction and partly by a special tax bond issued through the efforts of the Arlington Community Club., By 1924 the new school had over 300 students and 7 teachers teaching grades one through eight. The first principal was Mr. Lewis Townsend. The first custodian was Mr. "Henry" Roger Highsmith., After graduation from eighth grade the students rode by boat across the St. Johns River to attend Duval High School on Ocean Street in downtown Jacksonville. In 1927 Landon High School opened in the San Marco area of South Jacksonville, and the white students of Arlington completed their undergraduate education there., Black students in Arlington attended separate elementary schools located on Lone Star Road and Ft. Caroline Road, and attended Old Station High School on Ashley Street in downtown Jacksonville. Desegregation in the 1960s opened schools to all students, white and black. Terry Parker High School opened in 1955 and now serves as the high school for the Arlington community., Throughout the years additions have been built for classroom and cafeteria space, but the original Arlington Grammar School building remains structurally the same Oak trees carefully planted and watered by the first students at the school still offer shade for students today., Arlington Grammar School is the oldest remaining building in the Arlington area.