Lee County's student body primarily comprised of Hispanic students in 2023-24 school year

FL Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. 2023 | Commissioner of Education

By Lee Today

Sep 16, 2024

Hispanic students made up the largest ethnic group enrolled in Lee County County school districts during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Of the 100,064 students attending Lee County schools, 48.9% were Hispanic. White students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 32.6% of Lee County students.

In the previous school year, Hispanic students were also the most common ethnicity in Lee County, representing 46.6% of the student body.

Treeline Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among the county schools, including 38.4% Hispanic students, 31.4% white students, 21% Black students, 5% Asian students, and 3.9% multiracial students.

In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in the county increased by 0.7% when compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, Florida continues to face a teacher shortage in the 2023-24 school year. Despite some improvements, the state reported nearly 4,800 instructional vacancies at the beginning of the year. According to the Florida Department of Education, core subjects such as English, reading, and math among the areas with the highest demand for teachers.

According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranked 50th in the U.S. for teacher pay in the 2022-23 school year, with salaries lower than they were a decade ago when adjusted for inflation.

Governor DeSantis's budget for the 2024-25 school year allocates nearly $38 billion for education, with $1.25 billion dedicated to teachers' salaries and other instructional personnel.

Ethnicities in Lee County in 2023-24 School Year

Students' Ethnicity Percentage in Lee County Schools in 2023-24 School Year

School Name	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Allen Park Elementary School	Hispanic	38.9%	890
Athenian Academy Charter School	Hispanic	46.1%	401
Bayshore Elementary School	White	71.1%	596
Bonita Springs Charter School	White	52.4%	1,320
Bonita Springs Elementary School	Hispanic	88.3%	555
Bonita Springs High School	Hispanic	57.6%	1,528
Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts	Hispanic	71.9%	775
Buckingham Exceptional Student Center	Hispanic	50.9%	59
Caloosa Elementary School	Hispanic	49.5%	963
Caloosa Middle School	Hispanic	46.5%	915
Cape Coral High School	Hispanic	45.1%	1,936
Cape Elementary School	White	48.6%	758
Challenger Middle School	White	45%	1,142
City of Palms Charter High School	Hispanic	55.9%	136
Colonial Elementary School	Hispanic	49.8%	655
Coronado High School	Hispanic	58.8%	320
County Wide Exceptional Child Programs	White	45.7%	81
Cypress Lake High School	White	43%	1,507
Cypress Lake Middle School	White	48.7%	753
Diplomat Elementary School	Hispanic	50%	1,072
Diplomat Middle School	Hispanic	50.5%	934
Donna J. Beasley Technical Academy	Hispanic	54.5%	266
Dr. Carrie D. Robinson Littleton Elementary School	Hispanic	47.2%	600
Dunbar High School	Hispanic	56.9%	1,762
Early Childhood Learning Services	Hispanic	61.7%	149
East Lee County High School	Hispanic	66.2%	1,985
Edgewood Academy	Hispanic	56.2%	618
Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School	White	44%	432
Estero High School	White	50%	1,523
Florida Southwestern Collegiate High School	White	50.3%	394
Fort Myers Beach Elementary School	White	75%	48
Fort Myers High School	White	43.2%	1,850
Fort Myers Middle Academy	Black	46.7%	572
Franklin Park Elementary School	Black	72.8%	393
G. Weaver Hipps Elementary School	Hispanic	65.6%	633
Gateway Charter Elementary School	Hispanic	49.1%	2,977
Gateway Elementary School	Hispanic	43.7%	846
Gateway High School	Hispanic	52.4%	2,312
Gulf Elementary School	White	55.2%	1,163
Gulf Middle School	White	51.2%	823
Hancock Creek Elementary School	Hispanic	46.6%	788
Harlem Heights Community Charter School	Hispanic	74.5%	196
Harns Marsh Elementary School	Hispanic	62.5%	1,056
Harns Marsh Middle School	Hispanic	65.7%	1,316
Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary School	Hispanic	68.4%	602
Heights Elementary School	White	49.9%	1,131
Heritage Charter Academy of Cape Coral	Hispanic	53.9%	232
Ida S. Baker High School	White	45.2%	2,116
Island Coast High School	Hispanic	48.2%	1,418
Island Park High School	Hispanic	66.3%	276
J. Colin English Elementary School	Hispanic	48.9%	540
James Stephens Elementary School	Hispanic	46%	541
Lee Adolescent Mothers Program	Hispanic	74.1%	58
Lee County Acceleration Academies	White	39.6%	144
Lee County Jail	White	< 10%	< 10
Lee County Virtual Franchise	White	52.2%	737
Lehigh Acres Middle School	Hispanic	56.4%	1,359
Lehigh Elementary School	Hispanic	67.4%	1,227
Lehigh Senior High School	Hispanic	57.3%	2,509
Lexington Middle School	Hispanic	44.6%	1,100
Manatee Elementary School	Hispanic	80.8%	640
Mariner High School	Hispanic	48.3%	1,894
Mariner Middle School	Hispanic	49.2%	964
Mid Cape Global Academy	Hispanic	68%	955
Mirror Lakes Elementary School	Hispanic	64%	1,218
North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts	White	54.3%	1,165
North Fort Myers High School	White	56.6%	1,831
North Nicholas High School	Hispanic	46.4%	323
Northern Palms Charter High School	White	54.1%	111
Oak Creek Charter School of Bonita Springs	Hispanic	85.8%	626
Oak Hammock Middle School	Hispanic	67.9%	1,422
Oasis Charter Elementary School-South	White	64.6%	873
Oasis Charter High School	White	64.6%	804
Oasis Charter Middle School	White	64.3%	840
Oasis Elementary Charter School-North	White	60.3%	812
Orange River Elementary School	Hispanic	86.4%	733
Orangewood Elementary School	Hispanic	45.1%	586
Pace School for Girls	Hispanic	43.3%	60
Palm Acres Charter High School	Hispanic	63.6%	280
Patriot Elementary School	Hispanic	47.5%	821
Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School	Hispanic	38.8%	995
Pelican Elementary School	White	47%	919
Pine Island Elementary School	White	64.8%	236
Pinewoods Elementary School	White	61.4%	1,053
Ray V. Pottorf Elementary School	Hispanic	46.2%	652
Rayma C. Page Elementary School	White	54.2%	747
River Hall Elementary School	White	44.5%	890
Riverdale High School	Hispanic	46.4%	1,870
Royal Palm Exceptional School Center	Black	33.3%	120
SW Florida Addiction Services-the Vince Smith Center	White	< 10%	< 10
San Carlos Park Elementary School	Hispanic	55.8%	606
Six Mile Charter Academy	Hispanic	41.2%	845
Skyline Elementary School	Hispanic	45.6%	1,040
South Fort Myers High School	Hispanic	63.1%	1,738
Southwest Florida Juvenile Detention Center	White	38.5%	52
Spring Creek Elementary School	Hispanic	83.9%	620
Success Academy	Hispanic	46.9%	98
Sunshine Elementary School	Hispanic	62.2%	1,377
Tanglewood Elementary School	White	46.1%	749
The Alva School	White	67.5%	1,214
The Island School	White	91.8%	61
The Sanibel School	White	85.4%	226
Three Oaks Elementary School	White	61.4%	927
Three Oaks Middle School	White	58.9%	1,100
Tice Elementary School	Hispanic	92.1%	518
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School	Hispanic	61.5%	1,110
Trafalgar Elementary School	White	45.5%	882
Trafalgar Middle School	White	46.9%	973
Treeline Elementary School	Hispanic	38.4%	1,127
Tropic Isles Elementary School	Hispanic	46.8%	818
Varsity Lakes Middle School	Hispanic	59.4%	1,257
Veterans Park Academy for the Arts	Hispanic	62.7%	1,741
Villas Elementary School	Hispanic	72.3%	847