Enrollment
60
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Myers, FL
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center
Federal NCES profile for Buckingham Exceptional Student Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120108002471
👥 S:T ratio 76
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Florida schools.
- #11 of 29
- schools in Fort Myers · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 6:1
- small classes for Florida
- 46.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center has class sizes smaller than 97% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buckingham Exceptional Student Center ranks #11 of 29 schools in Fort Myers, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-66% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buckingham Exceptional Student Center compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center is a small combined-grade school in Fort Myers, Florida, enrolling 60 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6:1, Buckingham Exceptional Student Center is leaner than roughly 97% of Florida schools and 66% under the state's 17.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 46.0% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Florida schools, with 60 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 40 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #27.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (27%) (diversity index 66/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lee also operates Gateway Charter Elementary School (3,192 students) and Lehigh Senior High School (2,550 students) alongside Buckingham Exceptional Student Center.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Buckingham Exceptional Student Center compares
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 6:1 | ▼ 66% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.0% | ▼ 12% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 60 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
60
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
6:1
students per teacher
- 66% below state mean
Top 3% in Florida - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
65.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,788
per pupil, district-wide
- below Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 48.3%
White 26.7%
African American 18.3%
Asian 3.3%
Two or More 3.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.0, Buckingham Exceptional Student Center is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lee, which includes Buckingham Exceptional Student Center.
$10,788
Per student
-3%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.0%
State 25.0%
Federal 17.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Buckingham Exceptional Student Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Charter Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lehigh Senior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gateway High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ida S. Baker High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Lee County High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buckingham Exceptional Student Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,192
- Students per teacher
- 51.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 2,550
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 2,343
- Students per teacher
- 31.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,191
- Students per teacher
- 27.4:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 2,129
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~60 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buckingham Exceptional Student Center's federal record.
- Compare Buckingham Exceptional Student Center against another school. Compare schools
- Lee's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Buckingham Exceptional Student Center
How many students attend Buckingham Exceptional Student Center?
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center has 60 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Fort Myers, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center is 6:1, which is 66% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 62% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center?
46.0% of students at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buckingham Exceptional Student Center?
The largest demographic group at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center is Hispanic or Latino at 48.3% of enrollment, in Fort Myers, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buckingham Exceptional Student Center?
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Buckingham Exceptional Student Center rank among schools in Fort Myers?
By Resource Investment Index, Buckingham Exceptional Student Center ranks #11 of 29 schools in Fort Myers, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fort Myers on the city page.
Is Buckingham Exceptional Student Center a good school?
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Florida schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Lee?
Besides Buckingham Exceptional Student Center, Lee also operates Gateway Charter Elementary School (3,192 students), Lehigh Senior High School (2,550 students), and Gateway High School (2,343 students). See the Lee district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.