Andrew Jackson High School of Advanced Technology, A Dedicated Magnet School is the oldest fully accredited high school in
Duval County, Florida
Duval County ( ), officially the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, is a County (United States), county in the First Coast, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was ...
. It is located just north of downtown
Jacksonville
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
on Main Street ( U.S. Highway 17). It opened in 1927, the same year the city opened Robert E. Lee High School (now Riverside High School). It was originally an all-white school, but the school became integrated in 1970. It is named for
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
, an important figure in the
history of Florida
The history of Florida can be traced to when the first Paleo-Indians began to inhabit the peninsula as early as 14,000 years ago. They left behind artifacts and archeological remains. Florida's Recorded history, written history begins with the ar ...
, after whom the city of Jacksonville is also named.
Jackson has the city's oldest athletic rivalry with Riverside High School (formerly Robert E. Lee High School). For many years the football game was played in the
Gator Bowl Stadium
The Gator Bowl was an American football stadium located in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, all but a small portion of the facility was razed in 1994 in preparation for the 1995 Jacksonville Jaguars season, inaugural season of the ...
on Thanksgiving Day, and it was a major event for students and alumni of both schools. The girls varsity basketball team were 2007 Gateway Conference Champions, beating out Samuel W. Wolfson High School. They won this award three consecutive years.
Jackson is the only high school in Duval County with an off-campus football stadium. The stadium is located about three-fourths of a mile north of the campus on Main Street, adjacent to North Shore Elementary School. Prior to the construction of this facility the Tigers played their home football games at the
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, usually contested on or around New Year's Day. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first televise ...
.
In 2017 Andrew Jackson High School celebrated its 90th anniversary.
Academics
Andrew Jackson currently offers the following magnet academies for students:
* Air Force Junior ROTC
* Cyber Security
* Early College Program
* Sports Medicine
* Video Game Design
Each magnet academy features a 4-year course progression to provide students with the fundamental skills to succeed in their chosen field. Students are given opportunities to earn industry relevant certifications, participate in internships and job shadowing, take field trips, and enroll in rigorous courses focused on their academy of choice.
Notable alumni
* Professor Backwards - comedian with 23 performances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
*
W. Haydon Burns
William Haydon Burns (March 17, 1912 – November 22, 1987) was an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of Florida from 1965 to 1967. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was List of mayors of Ja ...
-
mayor of Jacksonville
The Mayor of Jacksonville is the chief executive for the city of Jacksonville, Florida, and the administrator of Duval County. Jacksonville currently utilizes the strong mayor form of government in which the mayor currently has significant pow ...
1949–1965 and
Governor of Florida
The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state of Florida. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Government of Florida#Executive branch, executive branch of the government of Florida and is the comman ...
1965–1967
*
Judy Canova
Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & ...
- comedian
* James Collins - former professional basketball player for the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
*
Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945) is an American recording artist. During the 1970s and 1980s, her songs were on ''Billboard'' magazine's pop, country, adult contemporary, and jazz charts, and she won two Grammy Awards with fellow musician and th ...
-
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient and World War II Army Air Corps navigator
* Jake Godbold - mayor of Jacksonville 1978–1987
* Jamon Gordon - Professional European basketball player
*
Connie Haines
Connie Haines (born Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais; January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008) was an American singer and actress. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Fr ...
Wide receiver
A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
for the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
and current wide receiver for the
Jacksonville Sharks
The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, that competes in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The team plays its home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
They were members of the Are ...
.
*
Tommy Hazouri
Thomas Lester Hazouri Sr. (October 11, 1944 – September 11, 2021) was an American politician of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. He served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1974 to 1986, as the 3rd M ...
- mayor of Jacksonville 1987–1991
* Alvin Heggs - former
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
track and field
Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
business magnate
A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning photographer.
* Lou Ritter - mayor of Jacksonville 1965–1967
* Micah Ross - former wide receiver for the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
*
T. Terrell Sessums
Thomas Terrell Sessums (June 11, 1930 – June 6, 2020) was an American politician from Florida. He served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 1972 to 1974.
Early life
Thomas Terrell Sessums was born June 11, 1930, in Day ...
- Speaker of Florida House of Representatives and Chairman of the Florida Board of Regents
* Dan Sikes - former professional golfer
*
Leon Washington
Leon Dewitt Washington Sr. (born August 29, 1982) is an American former professional football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) as a running back and return specialist and made 2 Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro teams during his c ...
- former
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
running back, assistant coach for the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
*
Louis Wolfson
Louis Elwood Wolfson (January 28, 1912 – December 30, 2007) was an American financier, a convicted felon, and one of the first modern corporate raiders, labeled by ''Time'' as such in a 1956 article.Dennis Yost - lead singer of 1960s pop group
Classics IV
The Classics IV is an American band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965. The band, founded by Dennis Yost, is known mainly for the hits " Spooky", " Stormy", and " Traces" (released 1967–69), which have become cover stand ...