Clay County School Closings Today — Live Status & Delays (Florida)
Are Clay County schools closed today? Check live status below — updated every 10 minutes.
Live status monitored for Clay County District Schools (CCDS), Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), St. Johns County School District (SJCSD), Nassau County School District (NCSD), and Baker County School District (BCSD).
How Does Clay County Announce School Closures?
Clay County District Schools (CCDS) posts all closure and delay decisions on its official website at oneclay.net and pushes notifications directly to families through the OneClay app — the district’s official mobile communication platform available for iOS and Android. Families enrolled in the app receive push notifications as soon as announcements go out, typically before news stations pick up the story. The district aims to make closure calls as early as possible: for approaching hurricanes or tropical storms, the decision is usually communicated the evening before, giving families time to arrange childcare and prepare. For fast-developing events like flash flooding or a severe squall line overnight, expect the call by 5:30–6:00 AM on the morning of the event.
For the broader Jacksonville metro area, News4JAX (WJXT Channel 4) maintains a dedicated school-closings page at news4jax.com and covers Clay County schools prominently during any closure event. First Coast News (WTLV NBC 12 / WJXX ABC 25) at firstcoastnews.com and Action News Jax (WJAX CBS 47 / WFOX FOX 30) at actionnewsjax.com also carry rolling closings coverage during hurricane season and winter weather events. This page automatically monitors all three stations alongside the official district feeds, so you get the earliest possible alert without needing to check multiple sources.
Weather Risks That Cause Clay County School Closings
- Hurricanes and tropical storms — Clay County sits roughly 25 miles southwest of Jacksonville’s Atlantic coastline and directly in the storm-surge and wind footprint of any hurricane or tropical storm making landfall near or north of the St. Johns River. The June–November hurricane season is by far the most common trigger for multi-day district closures, sometimes announced 24–48 hours before landfall.
- Flash flooding and heavy rainfall — Low-lying areas of Clay County, including portions of the Middleburg and Green Cove Springs communities near Black Creek and Lake Asbury, are prone to rapid flooding during prolonged tropical or frontal rainfall. Flooded roadways make bus routes unsafe and can prompt same-day closures even without a named storm.
- Winter freeze and ice events — While truly rare, an Arctic air outbreak can bring overnight temperatures into the low-to-mid 20s°F across Clay County. Because Northeast Florida has no road-treatment infrastructure for ice, even a thin glaze on bridges and overpasses is enough for the district to delay or cancel school. These events typically occur once every several years but are taken seriously when they do occur.
- Severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings — Florida is the lightning capital of the United States, and intense afternoon or overnight thunderstorm complexes can produce damaging winds and occasional tornadoes. A tornado warning covering any part of Clay County during school hours will trigger shelter-in-place procedures; in extreme cases the district may delay dismissal or cancel after-school activities.
- Dense fog — River valleys along the St. Johns and its tributaries generate thick early-morning fog that can reduce visibility to near zero on rural roads. When fog is widespread and persistent, the district may announce a delayed start to allow conditions to improve before buses run.
- Air quality emergencies — Smoke from large wildfires in the Okefenokee Swamp region or on the Florida-Georgia border can occasionally push air quality index readings into unhealthy ranges across North Florida, prompting outdoor activity restrictions or, in severe cases, school closures.
Frequently Asked Questions — Clay County School Closings
How early does Clay County District Schools announce closures?
For hurricane and tropical storm events — the most common reason for CCDS closures — the district typically announces by the afternoon or evening before the storm arrives, often 24 to 48 hours in advance. For fast-developing weather events such as overnight flash flooding or a surprise freeze, announcements usually come between 5:00 and 6:00 AM on the morning of the closure. CCDS publishes all decisions on oneclay.net and through the OneClay app simultaneously.
What is the difference between a closure and a delayed start for Clay County schools?
A full closure cancels all in-person instruction, activities, and bus service for the day across the entire district. A delayed start — sometimes called a two-hour delay — shifts the school day’s beginning two hours later while maintaining the normal dismissal time, giving weather conditions such as dense fog or early-morning ice time to clear before buses begin their routes. Both types of events apply districtwide; CCDS does not typically close individual schools while others remain open, since weather conditions are generally consistent across the county.
Do all Clay County schools close at the same time?
Yes. Clay County District Schools operates as a single countywide district, so when the superintendent announces a closure or delay, it applies to all elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in the district simultaneously. This is different from Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), which serves the much larger city of Jacksonville and occasionally closes or delays individual school zones based on localized conditions.
Which TV stations cover Clay County school closings?
News4JAX (WJXT Channel 4, independent), First Coast News (WTLV NBC 12 and WJXX ABC 25), and Action News Jax (WJAX CBS 47 and WFOX FOX 30) are the three major Jacksonville TV newsrooms that report Clay County school closings. All three maintain dedicated school-closings pages on their websites during active weather events. This page monitors all three automatically alongside the official CCDS website and the OneClay app, giving you a single source for the entire Jacksonville-metro closure picture.
How often is this page updated?
This page checks for status changes automatically every 15 minutes under normal conditions, and every 5 minutes during active weather alerts or confirmed closure events. Data is pulled simultaneously from the official CCDS website, local TV station feeds for the Jacksonville market, and National Weather Service alert data for Clay County (NWS Zone FLZ032). Always confirm directly with your school district before making final plans.
Why does Clay County rarely close for cold weather?
Clay County’s climate is subtropical, with average January lows in the mid-40s°F and only a handful of mornings each decade that dip below freezing severely enough to create icy road conditions. Northeast Florida has no road-salting or de-icing equipment, so when ice does form on bridges and overpasses — even thin glaze — the district treats it with the same caution a northern district would treat a major snowstorm. When a hard freeze is forecast, watch for a delayed start rather than a full closure, as the district waits for daytime temperatures to clear road surfaces before buses run.
Clay County-Area Schools — Full Roster
Clay County District Schools (CCDS) — High Schools
- Clay High School
- Fleming Island High School
- Keystone Heights Junior Senior High School
- Middleburg High School
- Oakleaf High School
- Orange Park High School
Clay County District Schools (CCDS) — Middle Schools
- Green Cove Springs Junior High School
- Lake Asbury Junior High School
- Lakeside Junior High School
- Oakleaf Junior High School
- Orange Park Junior High School
Clay County District Schools (CCDS) — Elementary Schools
- Argyle Elementary School
- Charles E. Bennett Elementary School
- Clay Hill Elementary School
- Coppergate Elementary School
- Discovery Oaks Elementary School
- Doctors Inlet Elementary School
- Fleming Island Elementary School
- Grove Park Elementary School
- J.L. Wilkinson Elementary School
- Keystone Heights Elementary School
- Lake Asbury Elementary School
- Lakeside Elementary School
- McRae Elementary School
- Middleburg Elementary School
- Montclair Elementary School
- Oakleaf Village Elementary School
- Orange Park Elementary School
- Plantation Oaks Elementary School
- Robert M. Paterson Elementary School
- Shadowlawn Elementary School
- Thunderbolt Elementary School
Clay County District Schools (CCDS) — Charter & Alternative Schools
- Clay Charter Academy
- Clay Virtual Academy
- R.C. Bannerman Learning Center
Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) — Selected High Schools
- Atlantic Coast High School
- First Coast High School
- Fletcher High School
- Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology
- Mandarin High School
- Oakleaf High School
- Paxon School for Advanced Studies
- Raines High School
- Sandalwood High School
- Stanton College Preparatory School
- Samuel W. Wolfson High School
- Westside High School
St. Johns County School District (SJCSD) — High Schools
- Bartram Trail High School
- Beachside High School
- Creekside High School
- Nease High School
- Pedro Menendez High School
- Ponte Vedra High School
- St. Augustine High School
- Tocoi Creek High School
Nassau County School District (NCSD) — High Schools
- Fernandina Beach High School
- Hilliard Middle/Senior High School
- West Nassau High School
- Yulee High School
Baker County School District (BCSD) — Schools
- Baker County Senior High School
- Baker County Middle School
- J. Franklyn Keller Intermediate School
- Legacy Elementary School
- Macclenny Elementary School
- Westside Elementary School
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