The School District of Lee County is proud to report that the just-released 2024-2025 School Grades report shows significant improvement for four former “D” schools and removes them from the Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of School Improvement. Amanecer Elementary, Edgewood Elementary, J. Colin English Elementary, and Lemuel Teal Middle School all improved from a “D” to a “C.” No school received an “F” in the report.
The School District is also proud of the 14 schools receiving an “A” grade and the 27 earning a “B,” representing more than half of the district’s traditional public schools. Pine Island Elementary improved from a “C” to an “A,” and four schools, Gulf Elementary, North Fort Myers High, Tanglewood Elementary, and Three Oaks Middle, improved from a “B” to an “A” in the 2024-2025 report.
The School District of Lee County also maintained a “B” rating for the 2024-2025 school year, reflecting continued progress and academic achievement across its schools. This year’s ratings are based on the third year of Florida’s new FAST (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking) assessments aligned with the B.E.S.T. (Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking) Standards. The ratings consider all key accountability components, including student performance and growth in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, as well as a standalone achievement measure for third-grade ELA.
At the same time, Tortuga Preserve Elementary dropped to a “D” and will be under state supervision next year. The School District of Lee County also continues to rank 9th among the largest ten school districts in Florida. Anticipating these results, the School District has implemented several changes for the upcoming school year to support its priority of improving academic achievement. Among these are:
- A 5% budget cut in the central office to increase school support.
- An administrative reorganization to reduce bureaucracy.
- Incentives for teachers to teach the most critical subjects in the most at-risk schools.
- Increased the School Development Team to focus on schools in need.
- Project Believe to hire a high-quality, dedicated teacher for every classroom.
- The Safe Start Initiative to change school start times and reduce the number of students missing school due to late buses. Thirty minutes of instruction was also added at the high school level.
- Requiring cell phones to be turned off and put in backpacks during the upcoming school year.
“We are just getting started,” said Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin. “Our goal is to be the number one district in the State of Florida. The team we have put in place and the changes ready to greet students and staff when they return to school on August 11 will take us there. We will not rest until we are number one.”
