In the Lee County School System, parents have a choice as to which school their child attends.
It can be a little confusing, so I figured I’d take some time to explain the school system in more detail. Also, there will be changes to the Elementary School enrollment process starting in the 2023/2024 school year. Keep reading for details.
Lee County School Facts & Figures
School Year:
First Day of School – Typically Mid-August
Last Day of School – Typically Early June
Daily Bell Times:
7:05am – 1:35pm – High School
9:45am – 4:00pm – Middle School
7:55am – 2:10pm or 8:55am – 3:10pm – Elementary School
7:55am – 2:10pm – Combination Schools (K-8)
Schools on Sanibel Island
As you might already know, there is only one school on Sanibel and Captiva Islands, and that’s the Sanibel School, which serves Kindergarten through 8th Grade. All four of the McCallion kids attended the Sanibel School, which is a National Blue Ribbon Award winning school, ranked one of the highest in the nation!
In case you’re wondering where Sanibel kids attend high school, the short answer is off-island. We became masters of carpooling when our three-oldest kids where in high school in Fort Myers! There are a good number of full-time families living on Sanibel that work together to shuffle the kids back and forth.
There are also school buses that come over the Causeway every morning and afternoon, which works perfectly if your kids are not involved in after-school activities.
How Does the School Assignment Work?
Elementary School Assignments
As explained in the Lee County School District – “Student Enrollment Plan 2023/2024”:
Beginning in 2023-2024, The School District of Lee County is implementing a Proximity Plan for the District elementary students. The Student Enrollment Plan for 2023-2024 is focused around reducing the size of the attendance zones. Also impacted will be the transportation system; bus routes will be shorter and there will be a reduction in the number of bus routes.
Below is the new Proximity Plan Zoning Map. Click here to view the interactive online version.
Barrier Island Students
It’s important to note that the barrier islands (Sanibel Island, Estero Island, and Pine Island), are NOT considered as a part of a choice zone, and students that reside in these areas do not participate in the choice program due to the inability to offer efficient transportation.
However, students may apply for zone and multi-zone attractor program schools, and/or parents can choose to send students to a private school off-island as well.
Middle and High School Assignments
As explained in the Lee County School District – “Student Enrollment Plan 2023/2024”:
The plan divides the District into three Residential/Choice Zones and each of these three zones is further divided into three sub-zones for Middle and High School students.
In response to the desire of Lee County residents for increased opportunities to attend schools closer to their homes and to help the District manage transportation more effectively, the plan relies on sub-zones within each of the three Residential/Choice Zones. Parents or guardians select from among the schools in the sub-zone in which he or she resides and in any contiguous sub-zone within the same zone.
A lottery process is used in situations in which the number of applicants for a school exceeds the available seats. The system first considers the preferences that any student has and then randomly processes applications when placing students. Enrollments from the lottery are made to fill the capacity of the school according to the following preferences:
- Zone attractor programs
- ESE and special programs
- Sibling preference
- Proximity 1 (P1)
- Sibling guarantee
- Proximity 2 (P2) and Proximity 3 (P3) (middle school only)
- Serious illness or death of custodial parent
- Dependent child of active duty military personnel whose move is a result of military orders
- Relocated due to foster care placement in a different school zone
- A move due to court-ordered change in custody
More information on the school enrollment process can be found on the Lee County School District website here.
Our Personal Experience
Jim and I moved our family here in 2008, partly because of the stellar school system. Click here to read why we love the Sanibel School.
So far, we’ve had a pretty good experience with the Lee County School District. We’ve found that each one of our kid’s learning-styles are different, so it’s important to find the school that works best for them!
I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about schools here, and would love to share my experiences with you! Don’t hesitate to reach out, 239-472-1950 or susan@mccallionrealty.com.
