Gainesville vs. Alachua vs. Newberry vs. High Springs

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Sources: the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s final 2025 millage table (PDF) and preliminary 2026 table (PDF), Alachua County Public Schools’ 2026-27 zone maps, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades, Zillow Research, the Census Bureau’s QuickFacts and each city’s own service pages, linked below.

Gainesville’s nearest neighbors that are cities of more than 5,000 people are Alachua, about 10 miles northwest of the center of Gainesville, Newberry, about 15 miles west, and High Springs, about 17 miles northwest, measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each city. All four are in Alachua County, so they share one county government, one school district, one Property Appraiser and one Tax Collector. What differs is each city’s own tax rate, its zoned high schools and who runs its police, fire and trash service.

What this means for you

• The city rate is only part of the bill. The county, school, library and children’s trust rates are the same in all four cities and add up to more than any city’s own rate.
• Your city follows the parcel, not the mailing address. Many homes with a Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry or High Springs address are in unincorporated Alachua County and pay no city tax.
• Check one address with the tools at the end of this page before you compare.

Property tax rates

Florida rates are in mills: $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value. This table shows each city’s own operating rate for the 2025 tax year, the latest year with final rates, and the combined rate in the city’s main tax district, from the Property Appraiser’s final 2025 table, dated Oct. 6, 2025.

The 2026 column is from the Property Appraiser’s preliminary table (PDF), dated Aug. 4, 2026, before the September budget hearings set final rates. Part of Gainesville is in the St. Johns River water district, not the Suwannee River district, and its 2025 combined rate there was 22.1474.

City tax rate chart

County and school rates. These 2025 rates apply in all four cities, from the same final 2025 table:

Gainesville bills a yearly fire services assessment and High Springs a fire assessment on the tax bill; both are fees, not millage.

Homestead exemption. It is set by the state, so it works the same way in all four cities. The Property Appraiser says the first $25,000 applies to all property taxes, including school taxes, and a second exemption of up to $25,000 applies to assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000, for non-school taxes only. More in our property tax guide.

High schools

The district high schools zoned for each city on Alachua County Public Schools’ 2026-27 zone maps, with each school’s 2026 state grade and share of possible points from the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file.

Inside Gainesville, 48% of homes are zoned for Gainesville High, 46% for Eastside, 4% for Buchholz and 1% for Santa Fe High, by our count of the city’s address points; see our neighborhoods guide. All of Alachua and High Springs is in the Santa Fe High zone. In Newberry, about 93% of the city’s land is zoned for Newberry High and the northern edge for Santa Fe High. High Springs has no high school of its own: High Springs Community School, at 1015 N. Main St., teaches pre-K through eighth grade and earned an A in 2026. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The Zillow Home Value Index for August 2026, a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.

Home value chart

More in our home prices guide.

Census figures

From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the same vintage for all four; compare them on QuickFacts.

Median home value is what owners estimated their homes were worth, pooled across 2020 to 2024, so it runs below the 2026 Zillow figures.

Who provides services

Newberry’s list of city departments has fire, public works and utilities but no police department; its fiscal 2026 budget (PDF) carries a $1,137,800 law enforcement line. The City of Alachua lists Alachua County Fire Rescue Stations 21, at 16121 NW 173rd St., and 25, at 12825 NW U.S. 441, as its fire stations. Newberry collects trash twice a week, and recycling and yard waste once a week, its solid waste page says.

How to check an address

• Which city, and what tax: look up the parcel with the Alachua County Property Appraiser, 352-374-5230. The record shows whether the parcel is inside a city and the tax district it is in; the August TRIM notice lists every taxing authority’s proposed rate.
• Last year’s bill: search the Alachua County Tax Collector.
• Which school: enter the address on Alachua County Public Schools’ Find My School page.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a lower city tax rate, Gainesville or Alachua?

For the 2025 tax year, Gainesville’s city rate was 6.7297 mills and Alachua’s 6.2500, the Alachua County Property Appraiser’s final 2025 table shows. Newberry’s was 5.8800 and High Springs’ 6.9900.

What high school is High Springs zoned for?

Santa Fe High School in Alachua, on Alachua County Public Schools’ 2026-27 zone map. High Springs Community School teaches pre-K through eighth grade. Santa Fe High earned a B in the state’s 2026 school grades.

Does Newberry have its own police department?

No. Newberry contracts with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement, and its city departments list has no police department. Gainesville, Alachua and High Springs have their own police departments.

What are typical home values in Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry and High Springs?

Zillow’s typical home value in August 2026 was $295,760 in Gainesville, $327,303 in Alachua, $329,546 in Newberry and $326,871 in High Springs.