East Lee County News is asking for your input on an important community decision affecting Lehigh and the East Zone—where the next high school should be located and how that choice impacts daily travel and family life. We will forward the survey results to Lee County School Board officials and publish the findings here for the community to review.
Lee County is weighing where to build the next East Zone high school—a decision that will shape daily life for thousands of families. As reported by East Lee News, more than 90% of the roughly 2,000 students projected to attend “School NNN” live in Lehigh Acres, yet the District is advancing a site miles away in rural Alva—past a shovel-ready location the District already owns in Lehigh.
The District’s own proximity-based approach—intended to shorten rides and keep students near their neighborhoods—would be undermined by this move, adding tens of thousands of student bus hours every month and shifting time, money, and opportunity away from where most students actually live.
Beyond daily travel, the choice carries major cost and infrastructure implications. The project budget has already climbed beyond initial estimates and could rise further due to required roadwork, utilities, and environmental mitigation at the Alva site—at a time when capital funds are tight and new borrowing is being discussed. By contrast, the Joel/David site in Lehigh has utilities, roads, transit access, and surrounding feeder schools in place.
This survey asks Lehigh and East Lee residents to share practical, on-the-ground input: how far a “community school” can be before it’s too far, how commute time affects your family, and which siting priorities (safety, cost, proximity, environmental impact) matter most to you. Your responses will help local leaders and neighbors understand what works best for students—every day, not just on paper.
Additional article links at the bottom of the survey.
