Lee Today

There were 340 Black students enrolled in Lee County School District in the 2023-24 school year, 97.5% less than the previous year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Data showed that Lee County School District welcomed 890 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 38% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the district.

Lee County School District roughly covers 111 schools within Lee County, and has a main office in Fort Myers.

Among the 111 schools in Lee County School District, Lehigh Senior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 698 students.

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.

School Year	Total District Enrollment	Total Black Students	Black %
2023-24	890	340	38%%
2022-23	99,354	13,549	13.6%%
2021-22	97,264	13,520	13.9%%
2020-21	94,927	13,318	14%%
2019-20	95,616	13,545	14.2%%
2018-19	94,417	13,380	14.2%%
2017-18	93,221	13,294	14.3%%