Enrollment
1,571
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Estero, FL
Estero High School
Federal NCES profile for Estero High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 120108002566
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Estero High School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Florida schools.
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.8:1
- large classes for Florida
- 29.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,571
- students enrolled
Estero High School has class sizes larger than 93% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+45% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.5%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Estero High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Estero High School
Estero High School is a large high school in Estero, Florida, enrolling 1,571 students.
Class loads run heavy: 25.8:1 is larger than about 93% of Florida schools and 45% above the 17.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Florida, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,571 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 323 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #245, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (47%) and Hispanic or Latino (45%) (diversity index 58/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 393 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.2% 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 Estero High 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 Estero High School compares
Estero High 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 | 25.8:1 | ▲ 45% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.5% | ▼ 43% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,571 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.8:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,571
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
25.8:1
students per teacher
- 45% above state mean
Top 93% in Florida - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
29.2%
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 393 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
121
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.0 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
White 46.6%
Hispanic or Latino 45.1%
Asian 3.4%
African American 2.5%
Two or More 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 46.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.7, Estero High School is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lee, which includes Estero High 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 Estero High 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 | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gateway High School | Larger | Higher 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Estero High 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 high 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 (~1,571 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Estero High School's federal record.
- Compare Estero High 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 Estero High School
How many students attend Estero High School?
Estero High School has 1,571 students enrolled. It is a high school in Estero, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Estero High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Estero High School is 25.8:1, which is 45% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 64% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Estero High School?
29.5% of students at Estero High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Estero High School?
The largest demographic group at Estero High School is White at 46.6% of enrollment, in Estero, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Estero High School?
Estero High School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Estero High School a good school?
Estero High School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% 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 Estero High 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.