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Mr. Darrell Edmunds

A Message from our Principal, Mr. Darrell Edmunds

Greetings from Hendricks Avenue Elementary! 

It is a thrill and an honor to serve at “one of the best schools in the U.S.A.”, as the lyric goes in our official school song. Hendricks is a Florida School of Excellence, a National Model School and a FranklinCovey Leader in Me Lighthouse Honor Roll School, among other distinctions. Our students never cease to make us proud - most recently with their achievement on the Florida Assessments of Student Thinking (FAST) to earn Hendricks Avenue Elementary another “A” school grade!

Our accomplishments here at Hendricks are the result of outstanding teachers, engaged families and committed stakeholders working together for all our students; a unique and supportive community developed over generations; a school that empowers its students and staff to lead with compassion, creativity and curiosity, as is our mission. We are HAE! 

This 2024-25 school year, we are “Rooted in Leadership” – growing our students into amazing citizens reflecting our values: that every student has genius and every person in our HAE community is a leader. We empower our students to own their learning and we partner with parents to develop the whole person. Change starts with each of us.

As we experience the joy of learning this school year, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, our wonderful Assistant Principal Ms. Jessica Daniel, or our front office staff for information or support.

Thank you for the opportunity to work with your amazing student! 

Darrell Edmunds
Principal,
Hendricks Avenue Elementary

Darrell Edmunds is a Jacksonville native and graduate of Duval County Public Schools (Westside HS ’97) with over 12 years of experience in education following a career in television news production. He decided to pursue a career dedicated to maximizing positive impact on students and our community.

Darrell served as an Exceptional Student Education teacher at Alden Road Exceptional Student Center, where he was named the school’s Teacher of the Year in 2014. He is an alumnus of Teach for America, a national organization with a mission to provide excellent education for every student, regardless of socioeconomic status or background.

Darrell became Assistant Principal at Mandarin Oaks Elementary in 2016 (18 consecutive years with school grade of “A”). In 2020, Darrell served as AP at Love Grove Elementary and was recognized as DCPS Elementary Region Assistant Principal of the Year. He joined the HAE family in March 2021 as AP before moving into the role of Principal this year. Darrell, his wife Laura and their daughter, Alexis are grateful to be part of our precious Hendricks community.