Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is asking families, including those near Naval Station Mayport, to complete a federal funding survey by Oct. 26 to help the district document its eligibility for education funding.

The district received $280,349 in federal Impact Aid basic support payments for fiscal year 2026, compared with a potential $6.2 million allocation under full federal funding, according to the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools.

DCPS launched its 2026 Federal Impact Aid Survey on Monday, Oct. 12, with a deadline of Monday, Oct. 26, according to a district announcement. Parents and guardians can access the questionnaire through their Parent FOCUS accounts. It takes approximately five minutes to complete.

Who qualifies for federal Impact Aid

The federal Impact Aid program helps compensate school districts for property tax revenue lost because of nontaxable federal property, including military installations.

The survey identifies students whose parents or guardians serve on active military duty, work on military bases or other qualifying federal property, or live in federally supported housing. Families of full-time foreign military personnel may also qualify.

The program is particularly relevant to schools near Naval Station Mayport, including Anchor Academy, Mayport Elementary Coastal Sciences Academy, Mayport Coastal Sciences Middle School and Duncan U. Fletcher High School.

Although military-connected families are a key focus, the district encourages all parents and guardians to complete the survey to help identify eligible students.

Duval receives fraction of full federal allocation

Duval County received $280,349 in Impact Aid basic support payments for fiscal year 2026, compared with a full-funding amount of $6,216,168, according to an August 2026 analysis by the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools.

The difference of approximately $5.9 million reflects the gap between the district's actual basic support payment and what it could receive if the federal program were fully funded. It does not represent money the district could automatically recover through increased survey participation.

The analysis identified 2,546 federally connected students among Duval County's enrollment of 129,749. Of those, 1,813 were military-connected and 733 lived in qualifying low-rent housing.

The district also received $267,955 in Impact Aid payments for children with disabilities, a separate category from basic support funding.

Congress established the federal Impact Aid program in 1950 to help school districts affected by federal activities and property ownership.

How families can complete the survey

Superintendent Christopher Bernier and Capt. Mike Trumbull, commanding officer of Naval Station Mayport, recorded a joint video message encouraging families to participate.

District officials said accurate survey responses help DCPS document the number of federally connected students and secure the funding for which it qualifies.

Parents and guardians can complete the survey by logging in to their Parent FOCUS accounts and following the instructions provided by the district.

The questionnaire takes about five minutes, and the deadline is Monday, Oct. 26.