Bolles School

It dropped its military focus in 1962 and its athletics programs have been recognized as some of the best in the Florida High School Athletic Association by Sports Illustrated magazine.

• Name — The Bolles School • Motto — "All things possible" • Address — 7400 San Jose Boulevard • City — Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Beach • State — Florida • Country — USA • Type — Private, day, boarding • Religious Affiliation — Non-denominational • Established — 1933 • Other Name — Florida Military Academy • Headmaster — Tyler Hodges • Faculty — 295 • Grades — Pre-K–12 • Enrollment — 1,742 • Gender — coeducational • Avg Class Size — 15 • Ratio — 1:12 • Campus Size — 84 acre • Nickname — Bulldogs • Newspaper — The Bugle • Yearbook — The Turris • Campus — Suburban • Tuition — 2023-24 Tuition Lower School: $12,780-$21,680 Middle School: $29,890 Upper School: $30,810 Boarding: $62,920 • Endowment — $19 million • Colors — Blue and Orange • Website — bolles.org

The school was founded as an all-boys' military academy for grades 7-12 in 1933 by Agnes Cain Painter, an associate of Richard J. Bolles. The original campus, now known as the San Jose Campus, was formed from the San Jose Hotel, a former hotel on San Jose Boulevard near the east bank of the St. Johns River. Bolles announced that it would drop its military status in 1961 and the graduating class of 1962 ended the military era. It began admitting girls in 1971. Today, male and female students are enrolled in relatively equal numbers. The lower school opened with a kindergarten class in 1981, expanding one grade each year, finishing in 1986 with 5th grade or 1987 with 6th grade. Pre-K was added after 2005. The Bartram School became the Bolles Middle School grades 6-8 in 1991. International students have enrolled at Bolles since the late 1930s, and the school maintains separate boys and girls boarding facilities for 90 students from other states and 22 foreign countries. The school also has an active student exchange program with schools in China, Japan, France and Spain. Participants live with the host family while attending school.

Harry M. deMontmollin Jr. was the fifth headmaster from 1976 to 2000, the longest tenure of any president. John E. Trainer, Jr. served as the sixth Bolles President/Headmaster from 2002 to 2012, overseeing the growth of the Bartram campus, creation of an elementary school in Ponte Vedra Beach, and boosting the school's endowment. He was succeeded by Brian E. M. Johnson for the 2012–2013 school year, who was succeeded by Bradley R. Johnson '79, who was succeeded by David J. Farace who was then succeeded by the previous Assistant Head of School Tyler Hodges the ninth head of school since its founding.

• Upper School (grades 9–12) – San Jose Campus (Jacksonville) • Middle School (6–8) – Bartram Campus (Jacksonville) • Lower School (pre-kindergarten–5) – Ponte Vedra (Ponte Vedra Beach) & Whitehurst (Jacksonville) Campuses

Bolles has been a fully accredited Florida high school since 1934. Bolles operates on a two-semester academic year, with each semester split into two quarters. Bolles offers 38 Honors courses and approximately 30 Advanced Placement courses each year, depending on enrollment and student interest. In May 2024 AP exams, the average score was 4.0 and 91% of students earned at least a 3.0. There are 295 faculty/staff positions; 42% have master’s degrees and 4% have doctoral degrees. The student-teacher ratio was approximately 12:1 and the average class size was 15 in 2023-2024. The Sanchez & Fender Center for Innovation contains the Bolles STEM programs. The courses they offer are advanced study in robotics, engineering & design, computer programming & IT. In addition to classrooms, there are 12 specialty labs and areas for biology, chemistry and anatomy. The school considers Fine Arts to be integral to human experience and history. Every student is required to be adept in at least one art discipline to acquire a broad historical and cultural perspective. Study of performing and/or visual arts enable students "to communicate clearly, analyze abstract images, make discriminating judgments, and understand their world." The school considers World Language skills essential for future success in college, travel and the profession they choose. The program provides the student with the skills to listen, read, speak and write the language while becoming aware of cultural aspects of the language. Six advanced languages are offered including Mandarin, French, Japanese, Latin, Spanish and Arabic. The school has ten domestic and international programs for travel. Graduation requires a minimum of 22 core credits with a C− average, including 4 English, 4 Mathematics, 3 Science, 3 Social Studies, 2 Language, 1 PE/Fitness, 1 Fine Arts, 3.5 Electives and.5 Wellness.

In 2005, Sports Illustrated named Bolles's athletic program the ninth best in the country, and second best in Florida. Of the top twenty-five schools, Bolles was the only one with an Upper School enrollment of under 1,000 students. As of the 2024-2025 school year, Bolles has received the Florida High School Athletic Association's Dodge Sunshine Cup/Floyd E. Lay All-Sports Award (given to the best overall athletic program in each school type/size classification in Florida) 29 times. Following the 2023–2024 school year, Bolles had won 160 state titles, 101 state runner-up and 543 district titles. The outdoor field where its seven outdoor sports teams practice is called "George H. Hodges Field" and in 2016 it was converted to an artificial turf. The swim team was coached by Gregg Troy who went on to coach at the University of Florida and 2012 US Olympic men's team. Troy was followed as head coach by Olympic medalist Sergio Lopez until 2014 when Lopez left to become the Singapore national swimming team's head coach. The current Bolles coach is Peter Verhoef. The school's swimming facility has its own offices, weight room (separate from the weight room that the rest of the school uses), and two swimming pools (one Olympic-sized). As of 2016, the boys swim team has won 39 consecutive Florida state championships and 9 national championships, while the girls' team has won 37 consecutive state championships and 9 different national titles. Bolles has had at least one alumnus or student competing in every Summer Olympics since 1972, including 2016 Summer Olympics gold medal winners Ryan Murphy and Joseph Schooling. The Bolles Sharks, Bolles's club swim team, compete and practice year-round. The school's football team was coached by Charles "Corky" Rogers from 1989-2016. Rogers is the all-time winningest Florida high school football coach with 466 wins. The team has won eleven state championships, ten under Rogers. He compiled a record of 325-46 during his tenure at the school and his teams never had a losing season.

• Bolles School Championships • Season — Sport — Team — Championship • ' — Football — Boys — 32 District Championships • 5 times State Runners-up • 11 State Championships • Volleyball — Girls — 29 District Championships • 21 Final Four berths • 7 times State Runners-up • 2 State Championships • Golf — Boys — 15 District Championships • 5 times State Runners-up • 2 State Championships • Girls — 15 District Championships • Cross Country — Boys — 8 District Championships • 2 times State Runners-up • 4 State Championships • Girls — 16 District Championships • 7 times State Runners-up • 10 State Championships • Swimming & Diving — Boys — 53 District Championships • 12 times State Runners-up • 37 State Championships • 7 times National Runners-up • 8 National Championships • Girls — 37 District Championships • 5 times State Runners-up • 34 State Championships • 1 time National Runners-up • 9 National Championships • ' — Basketball — Boys — 23 District Championships • 11 Final Four berths • 5 times State Runners-up • 4 State Championships • Girls — 3 District Championships • Wrestling — Boys — 11 District Championships • 1 time State Runners-up • 2 State Championships • Soccer — Boys — 20 District Championships • 18 times Final Four berth • 4 State Runners-up • Girls — 23 District Championships • 19 times Final Four berth • 5 times State Runners-up • 6 State Championships • ' — Baseball — Boys — 30 District Championships • 18 times Final Four berth • 3 times State Runners-up • 7 State Championships • Softball — Girls — 7 District Championships • 2 times State Runners-up • Tennis — Boys — 36 District Championships • 10 times State Runners-up • 2 State Championships • Girls — 37 District Championships • 8 times State Runners-up • 4 State Championships • Lacrosse — Boys — 10 District Championships • Weightlifting — Boys — 6 times Top 5 in State • Crew — Boys — 9 State Championship Boats • Girls — 11 State Championship Boats • Track & Field — Boys — 19 District Championships • 1 time State Runners-up • 1 State Championship • Girls — 9 District Championships • 2 time State Runners-up • 2 time State Champion

The upper school has five performances each year, 13 gallery shows, eight musical concerts, three dance performances, two Coffeehouse performances, two drama showcases and five community art shows. 70% of upper and middle school students participate in the arts. Music, drama and art classes are required in lower school. The school offers 22 performing arts classes and 28 visual arts classes

Compassion and service are core values at Bolles. There are over 85 Service Clubs with participation opportunities for students in middle and lower schools.

• Linden Ashby actor • Alex Aster author • Ron Clark Ball author • Jackson Baumeister professional baseball player • Chris Bono American freestyle and folkstlye wrestler, member of three US freestyle World Championship teams and an NCAA wrestling champion at Iowa State • Gustavo Borges Brazilian world-record-setting swimmer and 4-time Olympic medalist, competing for Brazil in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympics. • George Bovell Olympic bronze medal swimmer • Dee Brown former National Basketball Association player • Greg Burgess Olympic silver medal swimmer • Travis Carroll former NFL player • Shaun Chapas NFL fullback for the Detroit Lions • Santo Condorelli 2016 Olympian for Canada • Jackie Crosby Pulitzer Prize winning journalist • Bruce Crump southern rock musician • Char-ron Dorsey former NFL offensive lineman • Max Ferguson baseball player in the Boston Red Sox organization • Brian Ferlin former NHL player • Caden Fordham NFL linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers • Javontee Herndon former NFL player • Charles Hicks two-time European U23 Cross Country champion • Hayden Hurst NFL tight end for the Los Angeles Chargers • Jordan Jackson NFL defensive end for the Denver Broncos • Trina Jackson Olympic gold medal swimmer • Jawan Jamison – former NFL running back • Chipper Jones former Major League Baseball player and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame • Mac Jones San Francisco 49ers quarterback • Joseph Kittinger United States Air Force pilot, performed the record highest and fastest skydive at over 100,000 feet as a key member of Project Excelsior • Kay Krill President/CEO of Ann Inc. • David Larson Olympic gold medal swimmer • Amelia Lewis LPGA professional golfer. Attended UF in 2009 on a golf scholarship before turning pro. She currently has 57 professional and amateur wins to her name. • Brian Liesegang Filter, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Corgan, Veruca Salt; songwriter, producer, musician • Bailey Chase Luetgert American stage and television actor • David López-Zubero Olympic bronze medal swimmer • Martin López-Zubero Olympic gold medal swimmer • Charles Martin author • Andrew G. McCabe former deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation • MacKenzie Miller U.S. Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred trainer • Ryan Murphy 2016 Olympic gold medalist and swimmer for the Cal Golden Bears. • Anthony Nesty Olympic gold medal swimmer for Suriname • Gram Parsons country rock musician • Colin Peek All-SEC and Academic All-SEC tight end for the University of Alabama 2010 BCS National Championship team and a free agent in the National Football League • Alexandra Pierson author • Daniella Pierson founder and CEO of The Newsette • Jack Pyburn NFL linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers • Will Ropp – Actor, The Way Back • Kevin Sack The New York Times reporter • Joseph Schooling Olympic gold medalist for Singapore. • Frederick H. Schultz American businessman and politician • George Scribner Disney Director, Imagineer. Directed Oliver & Company. Professional painter. • Ryan Silverfield Head football coach, University of Arkansas. • Riley Skinner All-ACC quarterback for the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons and NFL New York Giants • Austin Slater MLB player with the Tampa Bay Rays • Jason Spitz NFL player with the Jacksonville Jaguars • George B. Stallings Jr. Served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1959 to 1968 • DJ Stewart – MLB player with the New York Mets • John Theus former NFL player. • David Treadwell former NFL player • Travis Tygart CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency USADA • Fred Tyler Olympic gold medal swimmer • Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace Olympic swimmer • Alexa von Tobel American businesswoman • Dez White former NFL player • Ashley Whitney Olympic gold medal swimmer • Mari Wilensky 2006 Miss Florida • Rick Wilkins former Major League Baseball player