Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0Fort Myers’s public schools score below 64% of Florida districts on tests and graduation
The grade covers the public school district serving Fort Myers, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Florida, not nationally.
From Florida state tests taken in spring 2022, when 95% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Fort Myers’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 451 Florida towns with household incomes within a quarter of Fort Myers’s, its schools beat 22%, lower than their 36% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 49% of tested students were proficient in reading and 48% in math, against 52% and 52% statewide; 95% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
85% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 88% across Florida. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $12,384 per student, against $13,006 across Florida (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Ten elementary schools, then two middle and two high schools
Which school depends on the address at every step. Enrollment is up 10% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Choice beyond the district
City of Palms Charter High School, Coronado High School, Bishop Verot Catholic High School (private), St. Francis Xavier School (private), St. Michael Lutheran School (private), Ft. Myers Christian School (private), New Life Academy (private), Apostolic Revival Center Christian School (private), Lee Autism Academy (private), Hibernian Private School (private) and Rock Christian Academy (private) are in town. Lee County Virtual Franchise, an online school, is based here too; it isn’t counted as a local school. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Fort Myers’s grade
C+: better than 36% of Florida school districts, #515 of 638 Florida towns. Both inputs trail the Florida average; test scores are the closer of the two to typical.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Fort Myers, with each school’s own grade.
6th grade in Fort Myers · depends on your address
Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 999 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Fort Myers Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 687 students · 21:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Fort Myers · depends on your address
Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 999 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Fort Myers Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 687 students · 21:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Fort Myers · depends on your address
Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 999 students · 18:1 students per teacher
Fort Myers Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 687 students · 21:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Fort Myers · depends on your address
Fort Myers High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,835 students · 23:1 students per teacher
Dunbar High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,734 students · 22:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Fort Myers · depends on your address
Fort Myers High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,835 students · 23:1 students per teacher
Dunbar High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,734 students · 22:1 students per teacher
11th grade in Fort Myers · depends on your address
Fort Myers High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,835 students · 23:1 students per teacher
Dunbar High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,734 students · 22:1 students per teacher
12th grade in Fort Myers · depends on your address
Fort Myers High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,835 students · 23:1 students per teacher
Dunbar High School
Grades 9–12 · 1,734 students · 22:1 students per teacher
Fort Myers’s public schools are run by Lee County School District, which also serves Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Estero and Fort Myers Beach and others. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Below the state in reading
Fort Myers vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Florida towns that share Fort Myers’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | C+ | Lee County |
| Cape Coral | C+ | Lee County |
Every school in Fort Myers
33 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Florida’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Left off: 5 public programs with fewer than 25 students (Fort Myers Technical College, Lee County Jail, SW FL Addiction Services-the Vince Smith Center, Lee Virtual Instruction Program and Lee County Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided)).
Questions about Fort Myers’s schools
Are Fort Myers’s schools good?
On Florida’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Fort Myers children attend score below 64% of Florida’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C+ Schools grade, #515 of 638 Florida towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 22%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Fort Myers in?
Lee County School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 102,506 students in 115 schools (2024–25).
Where do Fort Myers kids go to high school?
One of 2 high schools, depending on your address: Fort Myers High School and Dunbar High School.
What is Fort Myers’s graduation rate?
85% of the class of 2023 in Lee County School District graduated in four years, against 88% across Florida.
How much does Fort Myers spend per student?
$12,384 in Lee County School District (FY2024), against $13,006 across Florida. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Fort Myers?
Yes: Bishop Verot Catholic High School (Catholic, grades 8–12, 895 students), St. Francis Xavier School (Catholic, grades PK–8, 602 students), St. Michael Lutheran School (religious, grades PK–8, 513 students), Ft. Myers Christian School (religious, grades K–8, 255 students), New Life Academy (religious, grades PK–12, 78 students), Apostolic Revival Center Christian School (religious, grades PK–5, 30 students), Lee Autism Academy (special education, grades , 24 students), Hibernian Private School (nonsectarian, grades 7–12, 23 students) and Rock Christian Academy (religious, grades 1–12, 16 students). Fort Myers also has 2 charter schools, free and open by application.
Parents talk
What Fort Myers families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Fort Myers → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Florida. Stars are from neighbors.