Enrollment
1,172
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lehigh Acres, FL
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Tortuga Preserve Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120108008105
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Florida schools.
- #2 of 7
- schools in Lehigh Acres · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.9:1
- large classes for Florida
- 63.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School has class sizes larger than 70% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tortuga Preserve Elementary School ranks #2 of 7 schools in Lehigh Acres, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tortuga Preserve Elementary School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tortuga Preserve Elementary School
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Lehigh Acres, Florida, enrolling 1,172 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 63.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 1,172 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.
Against 588 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #363.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1172 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.1% 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 Tortuga Preserve Elementary 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 Tortuga Preserve Elementary School compares
Tortuga Preserve Elementary 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 | 18.9:1 | ▲ 6% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.7% | ▲ 23% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,172 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,172
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.9:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 70% in Florida - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.1%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 1172 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 62.6%
African American 19.5%
White 13.9%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.0, Tortuga Preserve Elementary 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 Tortuga Preserve Elementary 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 Tortuga Preserve Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Charter Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lehigh Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gateway High School | Larger | Lower 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 | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tortuga Preserve Elementary 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 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 (~1,172 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tortuga Preserve Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Tortuga Preserve Elementary 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 Tortuga Preserve Elementary School
How many students attend Tortuga Preserve Elementary School?
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School has 1,172 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lehigh Acres, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tortuga Preserve Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tortuga Preserve Elementary School is 18.9:1, which is 6% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tortuga Preserve Elementary School?
63.7% of students at Tortuga Preserve Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tortuga Preserve Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Tortuga Preserve Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 62.6% of enrollment, in Lehigh Acres, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tortuga Preserve Elementary School?
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Tortuga Preserve Elementary School rank among schools in Lehigh Acres?
By Resource Investment Index, Tortuga Preserve Elementary School ranks #2 of 7 schools in Lehigh Acres, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lehigh Acres on the city page.
Is Tortuga Preserve Elementary School a good school?
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% 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 Tortuga Preserve Elementary 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.