Enrollment
999
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Cape Coral, FL
Challenger Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Challenger Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120108004919
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Challenger Middle School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #5 of 7
- middle schools in Cape Coral · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.9:1
- students per teacher
- 49.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Challenger Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Challenger Middle School ranks #5 of 7 middle schools in Cape Coral, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.8%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Challenger Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Challenger Middle School
Challenger Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Cape Coral, Florida, enrolling 999 students.
At 16.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 49.8% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 999 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 789 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #690, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (46%) and White (42%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 500 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.7% 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.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Lee also operates Gateway Charter Elementary School (3,192 students) and Lehigh Senior High School (2,550 students) alongside Challenger Middle School.
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 Challenger Middle School compares
Challenger Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.8% | ▼ 4% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 999 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
999
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 54% in Florida - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.7%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 500 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
45
in-school suspensions + 49 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
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 46.2%
White 41.8%
African American 5.4%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 46.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.6, Challenger Middle School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lee, which includes Challenger Middle School.
$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 Challenger Middle School 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 | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gateway High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ida S. Baker High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Lee County High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Challenger Middle School'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 middle 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 (~999 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Challenger Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Challenger Middle School 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 Challenger Middle School
How many students attend Challenger Middle School?
Challenger Middle School has 999 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Cape Coral, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenger Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Challenger Middle School is 16.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 8% higher 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 Challenger Middle School?
49.8% of students at Challenger Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Challenger Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Challenger Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 46.2% of enrollment, in Cape Coral, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Challenger Middle School?
Challenger Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Challenger Middle School rank among middle schools in Cape Coral?
By Resource Investment Index, Challenger Middle School ranks #5 of 7 middle schools in Cape Coral, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Cape Coral on the city page.
Is Challenger Middle School a good school?
Challenger Middle School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. 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 Challenger Middle School, 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.