Leon County Schools

Historically, the citizens of Tallahassee and Leon County have always wanted to have good schools for their children to attend. As far back as 1827, two years after Tallahassee was incorporated, the Leon Academies began shaping the fabric of the Tallahassee community. The Leon Academy for Boys was a private school for Whites that operated in the mid-1840s.

In 1838, a “seminary for young ladies” was established and in 1845, The Leon Female Academy was established on Borough Street. The Academy was successfully operated until 1858 when the West Florida Seminary for Boys absorbed the school and admitted girls. This was the beginning of coed education in the capital city.

In 1847, the Fort Braden School was briefly mentioned in a newspaper article as the location for the collection of taxes, but there was no further reference until 1871, when Ft. Braden was listed as Leon County School No.12. The history of the school on their web site indicates that in 1928 Ft. Braden was an elementary school which closed its doors to the Old School House in 1993. Today there is a new 60-acre Ft. Braden School that now serves that community.

Hickory Grove Academy was established in 1856, and became Woodville Elementary School in 1961. The Freedom of Choice Plan brought the first Black students in 1967 to Woodville Elementary School. Today, Woodville Elementary School serves grades K-8.