School district weighs student enrollment plan changes
A modified student enrollment plan came before the Lee County School Board on Nov. 6 for its first formal consideration.
School District of Lee County Student Enrollment Director Soretta Ralph provided an update on the plan for the 2025-26 school year during the first reading.
The past two years have had significant changes with proximity plans for elementary and middle school enrollment, she said. The district’s West Zone includes Island Coast High School, which will now have a Florida Gulf Coast University collegiate program. Island Coast High will be a school choice for subzone three in the West Zone.
“They are going to have to rank it for the upcoming school year,” Ralph said of the district’s school choice system.
The East Zone, which includes Bayshore, will have grade 7 for the 2025-26 school year.
“Bayshore will be available for middle school zone CC for sixth and seventh grade,” she said. “How we are going to do that is wait until after all current Bayshore fifth and sixth graders are preplaced for the upcoming school year. The seats left will be filled. We will be able to set that capacity and let students in subzone CC to be able to select Bayshore.”
Island Coast will be a school to rank in the East subzone one.
There are two changes for the South Zone, both of which involve Dunbar High School. Ralph said they will be ranked in subzone one and two. Families that live in subzone three or four can rank Dunbar High and submit a waiver, which will eliminate transportation being provided.
Dunbar High is an available option for a waiver for students residing in subzone three, and East Lee County High School is also an available option via a waiver for students residing in subzone one.
The presentation also highlighted the district’s barrier island schools: The Sanibel School, Fort Myers Beach Elementary School and Pine Island Elementary School. Ralph said they have taken those schools out of the rankings in the different zones.
Families can choose these schools by wavier by emailing studentenrollment@leeschools.net.
“We are enrolling upcoming kindergarten class, charter schools, or pre-K going into district schools. We are enrolling them right now so they will be ready for the choice applications that will open Jan. 21 and run through Feb. 28,” she said.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY / news@breezenewspapers.com, please email