NCES CCD 2024-25 45 schools FL

Best-Resourced Schools in Fort Myers, FL

45 public K-12 schools in Fort Myers from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

45 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.

The highest-ranked of Fort Myers's 45 public schools is Gateway Charter Elementary School, scoring 52/100, against a city average of 34.6/100. Computed live across every Fort Myers campus reporting to NCES.

Every public school in Fort Myers, FL, ranked by Resource Investment Index.

45
Schools
34,795
Students
34.6/100
Avg Quality
19.5:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

How the Fort Myers Public-School Landscape Breaks Down

Fort Myers, FL enrolls 34,795 students across 45 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 7 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 19.5:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 34.6/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.

The most-resourced campus in Fort Myers on this index is Gateway Charter Elementary School, at 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 3,192 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.

Fort Myers spans 1 district, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.

Fort Myers school enrollment varies 798× across entities

Fort Myers school enrollment ranges from 4 students (lowest) to 3,192 students (highest), a spread of 3,188 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Fort Myers has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 50.2% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Fort Myers operates only 1 school district — one of the single most consolidated governance structures in the country

Most Fort Myers school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city, a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority, and the count here is near the floor observed nationally. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across a large population, but it can also mask intra-school district inequities — sub-school district differences within a single school district are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Fort Myers student-teacher ratio is 19.5:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

Fort Myers has higher-than-average charter school authorisation eligibility — 15.6% of the population qualifies for charter-school enrollment options

charter-school enrollment options eligibility is the federal threshold for charter school authorisation funding allocations, established under the state-specific charter law. Areas above 30% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic charter school authorisation formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Gateway Charter Elementary School 52
2. Riverdale High School 17
3. Fort Myers High School 30
4. Dunbar High School 33
5. South Fort Myers High School 33
6. Cypress Lake High School 27
7. Oak Hammock Middle School 32
8. Three Oaks Middle School 30
9. Heights Elementary School 36
10. Treeline Elementary School 30
11. Lexington Middle School 32
12. Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School 25
13. Three Oaks Elementary School 37
14. Allen Park Elementary School 26
15. Gateway Elementary School 30
16. Orange River Elementary School 27
17. Lee County Virtual Franchise 27
18. Villas Elementary School 36
19. Six Mile Charter Academy 32
20. Cypress Lake Middle School 36
21. Ray V. Pottorf Elementary School 26
22. James Stephens Elementary School 27
23. Manatee Elementary School 24
24. Fort Myers Middle Academy 23
25. Tanglewood Elementary School 32
26. Orangewood Elementary School 25
27. Colonial Elementary School 27
28. San Carlos Park Elementary School 38
29. Gateway Charter High School 53
30. Edgewood Academy 46
31. Tice Elementary School 27
32. Franklin Park Elementary School 33
33. Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School 34
34. Athenian Academy Charter School 25
35. Island Park High School 35
36. Harlem Heights Community Charter School 42
37. Early Childhood Learning Services 30
38. City of Palms Charter High School 15
39. Royal Palm Exceptional School Center 65
40. County Wide Exceptional Child Programs 33
41. Success Academy 81
42. Buckingham Exceptional Student Center 35
43. Young Parent Education Program 80
44. Southwest Florida Juvenile Detention Center 42
45. Lee County Jail 30

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Fort Myers

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Fort Myers High School 69.7/100
  2. 2 Treeline Elementary School 69.7/100
  3. 3 Royal Palm Exceptional School Center 69.7/100
  4. 4 Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School 69.5/100
  5. 5 Six Mile Charter Academy 67.9/100

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best schools in Fort Myers, FL?

The highest-ranked school in Fort Myers is Gateway Charter Elementary School with a quality score of 52/100. There are 45 public schools in Fort Myers with 34,795 total students.

How many schools are in Fort Myers, FL?

Fort Myers has 45 public schools with a total enrollment of 34,795 students. 7 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 19.5:1.

Other Cities in Florida

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Florida →

Explore PlainSchools

Related Guides

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.