Sunshine Elementary School

Public PK, KG-5

601 Sara Ave N
Lehigh Acres, FL 33971-1319

(239) 369-5836

District: Lee

SchoolDigger Rank:
1850^th of 2,242 Florida Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,109

Students who attend Sunshine Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Harns Marsh Middle School
	Lehigh Acres Middle School
	Oak Hammock Middle School
	Varsity Lakes Middle School
High:	Dunbar High School
	East Lee County High School
	Lehigh Senior High School
	Riverdale High School

Student/teacher ratio: 20.9

Number of students: 1,301

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.3%

African American:

28.4%

White:

9.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 74.2%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Sunshine Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sunshine Elementary School ranks worse than 82.5% of elementary schools in Florida. It also ranks 53^rd among 60 ranked elementary schools in the Lee School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.57. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (58.3%), African American (28.4%), White (9.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 74.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sunshine Elementary School is 20.9. 55 elementary schools in the Lee School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Sunshine Elementary School employs 62 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sunshine Elementary School is $10,109. 43 elementary schools in the Lee School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Sunshine Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Lee:

SchoolDigger ranks Lee 48^th of 67 Florida school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Sunshine Elementary School.

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Rank History for Sunshine Elementary School

Compare

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	FL State Percentile
2006	63.99	621^st	1688	63.2%
2007	58.26	776^th	1786	56.6%
2008	61.65	711^th	1789	60.3%
2009	55.04	879^th	1847	52.4%
2010	56.99	893^rd	1919	53.5%
2011	56.08	929^th	1985	53.2%
2012	45.74	1096^th	1984	44.8%
2013	49.97	1004^th	2029	50.5%
2014	40.85	1235^th	2064	40.2%
2016	41.48	1230^th	2087	41.1%
2017	36.32	1348^th	2112	36.2%
2018	21.21	1758^th	2118	17.0%
2019	27.59	1651^st	2182	24.3%
2021	29.54	1586^th	2247	29.4%
2022	31.54	1532^nd	2219	31.0%
2023	21.57	1848^th	2240	17.5%

See the entire list of Florida Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Florida Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Florida Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Saturday, September 8, 2018

Gone down hill in the last couple years. Seems like they go through teachers constantly, favoritism seems to be the style at this school. All about who you know, not all kids needs are getting met especially my daughters class , I seen my daughters teacher helper on playground on her phone not even watching the kids, my phone calls haven’t been returned, seems like they loose a lot of good teachers. I’ll be contacting the department of education and getting a advocate for my girl. Don’t seem right what going on there. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, February 19, 2015

As per my childs 5th grade teacher, " reading was cut out due to time constraints", this is highly unacceptable. The new principal is very "black and white", " by the book". The last principal made an accomodation I needed for medical reasons and the new pricipal said " I cant due that, then everyone else will want it too", newsflash...... not everyone has the same medical condition, and can provided doctors documentation to support it! It took over 6 weeks to get a teacher conference- my all A student was now falling behind due to a 6 week delay in staff/ front office communication! Think twice, I have seen F schools that CARE more! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Sunshine Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	576	48	6	60	0	n/a	n/a	0	690
1989	677	59	7	55	1	n/a	n/a	0	799
1990	759	67	6	66	1	n/a	n/a	0	899
1991	811	70	8	79	4	n/a	n/a	0	972
1992	731	65	7	83	5	n/a	n/a	0	891
1993	709	67	7	90	4	n/a	n/a	0	877
1994	684	54	14	128	3	n/a	n/a	0	883
1995	689	68	13	149	4	n/a	n/a	0	923
1996	689	68	13	149	4	n/a	n/a	0	923
1997	707	79	10	154	6	n/a	n/a	0	956
1998	605	93	6	162	4	n/a	n/a	0	870
1999	590	95	6	166	4	n/a	n/a	0	861
2000	593	125	11	224	3	n/a	n/a	0	956
2001	565	128	9	238	2	n/a	n/a	0	942
2002	574	130	7	307	2	n/a	n/a	0	1020
2003	574	130	7	307	2	n/a	n/a	0	1020
2004	555	128	10	310	1	n/a	n/a	0	1004
2005	530	130	8	333	4	n/a	n/a	0	1005
2006	509	147	13	343	4	n/a	n/a	0	1016
2007	445	158	15	452	6	n/a	n/a	58	1134
2008	380	167	15	514	6	n/a	n/a	52	1134
2009	359	193	20	507	6	n/a	n/a	71	1156
2010	329	221	18	498	8	n/a	n/a	40	1114
2011	308	228	20	538	8	2	29	0	1133
2012	254	250	16	584	5	2	33	0	1144
2013	238	234	13	560	6	2	41	0	1094
2014	249	270	12	576	6	2	40	0	1155
2015	238	271	8	643	4	2	43	0	1209
2016	222	253	9	643	2	0	50	0	1179
2017	214	235	11	668	2	0	42	0	1172
2018	202	239	8	671	1	0	42	0	1163
2019	182	271	13	643	1	1	42	0	1153
2020	140	266	9	671	0	0	41	0	1127
2021	112	272	4	612	0	0	31	0	1031
2022	127	340	6	731	1	1	37	0	1243
2023	128	370	5	758	2	1	37	0	1301

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sunshine Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	690	32.0	21.5	38.7
1989	799	36.0	22.1	35.8
1990	899	41.0	21.9	38.4
1991	972	46.0	21.1	41.3
1992	891	43.0	20.7	36.8
1993	877	42.0	20.9	43.1
1994	883	43.0	20.5	44.6
1995	923	48.0	19.2	44.6
1996	923	48.0	19.2	44.6
1997	956	51.0	18.7	46.1
1998	870	51.0	17.1	46.3
1999	861	48.0	17.9	64.7
2000	956	51.0	18.7	60.5
2001	942	51.0	18.5	58.2
2002	1020	50.0	20.4	62
2003	1020	50.0	20.4	62
2004	1004	58.0	17.3	58.7
2005	1005	59.0	17.0	60.1
2006	1016	58.0	17.5	55.5
2007	1134	68.0	16.7	57.7
2008	1134	72.0	15.8	67.6
2009	1156	73.9	15.8	76.7
2010	1114	67.0	16.6	82.8
2011	1133	75.0	15.1	83.6
2012	1144	77.0	14.8	87.3
2013	1094	75.0	14.5	89
2014	1155	76.0	15.1	87.4
2015	1209	80.0	15.1	89.2
2016	1179	80.0	14.7	74
2017	1172	77.0	15.2	73.6
2018	1163	82.0	14.1	76.4
2019	1153	74.0	15.5	67.8
2020	1127	72.0	15.6	68.9
2021	1031	66.0	15.6	71.6
2022	1243	72.0	17.2	72.6
2023	1301	62.0	20.9	74.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sunshine Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	690	32.0	21.5	38.7
1989	799	36.0	22.1	35.8
1990	899	41.0	21.9	38.4
1991	972	46.0	21.1	41.3
1992	891	43.0	20.7	36.8
1993	877	42.0	20.9	43.1
1994	883	43.0	20.5	44.6
1995	923	48.0	19.2	44.6
1996	923	48.0	19.2	44.6
1997	956	51.0	18.7	46.1
1998	870	51.0	17.1	46.3
1999	861	48.0	17.9	64.7
2000	956	51.0	18.7	60.5
2001	942	51.0	18.5	58.2
2002	1020	50.0	20.4	62
2003	1020	50.0	20.4	62
2004	1004	58.0	17.3	58.7
2005	1005	59.0	17.0	60.1
2006	1016	58.0	17.5	55.5
2007	1134	68.0	16.7	57.7
2008	1134	72.0	15.8	67.6
2009	1156	73.9	15.8	76.7
2010	1114	67.0	16.6	82.8
2011	1133	75.0	15.1	83.6
2012	1144	77.0	14.8	87.3
2013	1094	75.0	14.5	89
2014	1155	76.0	15.1	87.4
2015	1209	80.0	15.1	89.2
2016	1179	80.0	14.7	74
2017	1172	77.0	15.2	73.6
2018	1163	82.0	14.1	76.4
2019	1153	74.0	15.5	67.8
2020	1127	72.0	15.6	68.9
2021	1031	66.0	15.6	71.6
2022	1243	72.0	17.2	72.6
2023	1301	62.0	20.9	74.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sunshine Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2018	$1,238 (14.5%)	$7,301 (85.5%)	$8,539
2019	$1,026 (11.7%)	$7,718 (88.3%)	$8,745
2020	$1,084 (12.3%)	$7,747 (87.7%)	$8,831
2021	$1,263 (13.1%)	$8,393 (86.9%)	$9,657
2022	$2,161 (22.4%)	$7,484 (77.6%)	$9,646
2023	$2,588 (25.6%)	$7,521 (74.4%)	$10,109

Data source: Florida Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sunshine Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 1651^st of 2182 Elementary schools	Ranks 1848^th of 2240 Elementary schools	6.8%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Sunshine Elementary School)	49	45	4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Lee)	58	48	10%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	58	53	5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Sunshine Elementary School)	55	54	1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Lee)	61	56	5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Florida)	62	58	4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Sunshine Elementary School)	43	38	5%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Lee)	55	52	3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	58	57	1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Sunshine Elementary School)	56	45	11%
4th Grade Mathematics (Lee)	62	59	3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Florida)	64	61	3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Sunshine Elementary School)	38	40	2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Lee)	54	50	4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)	56	55	1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Sunshine Elementary School)	42	40	2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Lee)	58	51	7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Florida)	60	52	8%
5th Grade Science (Sunshine Elementary School)	37	36	1%
5th Grade Science (Lee)	50	50
5th Grade Science (Florida)	53	51	2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1153	1301	12.8%
African American	271	370	36.5%
American Indian	1	2	100%
Asian	13	5	61.5%
Hispanic	643	758	17.9%
Pacific Islander	1	1
White	182	128	29.7%
Two or More Races	42	37	11.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	67.8%	74.2%	6.4%

Schools Near Sunshine Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				FAST English Language Arts (2023)						FAST Math (2023)						Statewide Science Science (2023)		EOC Algebra 1 (2023)	EOC Civics (2023)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sunshine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	601 Sara Ave N	Lehigh Acres	33971	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 369-5836	1,301	62	20.9	74.2%	128 (9.8%)	370 (28.4%)	758 (58.3%)	5 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (2.8%)	21.6	1850^th of 2242 public elementary schools	17.5%		31.5	1532^nd of 2219 public elementary schools	31.0%	318	28.0	48.0	34.0				47.0	46.0	33.0				36.0				$10,109	$2,588	$7,521
Harns Marsh Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 Unice Ave N	Lehigh Acres	33971	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 690-1249	989	50	19.9	72.0%	133 (13.4%)	237 (24.0%)	581 (58.7%)	8 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (2.8%)	25.3	1739^th of 2242 public elementary schools	22.4%		32	1513^th of 2219 public elementary schools	31.8%	226	30.0	46.0	44.0				44.0	42.0	37.0				45.0				$10,331	$2,243	$8,088
Tortuga Preserve Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1711 Gunnery Rd N	Lehigh Acres	33971	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 693-5023	1,104	62	17.8	63.7%	186 (16.8%)	206 (18.7%)	660 (59.8%)	10 (0.9%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (3.4%)	30.3	1607^th of 2242 public elementary schools	28.3%		29.6	1582^nd of 2219 public elementary schools	28.7%	25	31.0	58.0	40.0				40.0	52.0	45.0				43.0				$10,730	$2,681	$8,049
G. Weaver Hipps Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 Homestead Rd N	Lehigh Acres	33936	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 368-7042	863	41	21.0	70.5%	119 (13.8%)	144 (16.7%)	543 (62.9%)	8 (0.9%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	43 (5.0%)	17.8	1967^th of 2242 public elementary schools	12.3%		17.2	1934^th of 2219 public elementary schools	12.8%	33	25.0	35.0	38.0				33.0	47.0	39.0				39.0				$10,613	$2,420	$8,193
Veterans Park Academy For The Arts	Public	PK, KG-8	49 Homestead Rd S	Lehigh Acres	33936	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 303-3003	2,133	112	19.1	36.0%	331 (15.5%)	413 (19.4%)	1,299 (60.9%)	14 (0.7%)	3 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	71 (3.3%)	35.9	1443^rd of 2242 public elementary schools	35.6%		24.6	1709^th of 2219 public elementary schools	23.0%	266	36.0	53.0	51.0	41.0	32.0	43.0	52.0	45.0	40.0	46.0	36.0	62.0	52.0	41.0	92.0	47.0	$10,518	$2,481	$8,037
Lehigh Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Schoolside Dr	Lehigh Acres	33936	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 369-2477	1,226	64	19.1	72.6%	220 (17.9%)	216 (17.6%)	741 (60.4%)	6 (0.5%)	5 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (3.0%)	26.5	1698^th of 2242 public elementary schools	24.3%		24.6	1707^th of 2219 public elementary schools	23.1%	9	32.0	42.0	38.0				45.0	51.0	39.0				47.0				$10,664	$2,472	$8,193
Gateway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	13280 Griffin Dr	Fort Myers	33913	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 768-3737	840	49	17.2	47.7%	287 (34.2%)	132 (15.7%)	364 (43.3%)	21 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (4.2%)	47.3	1154^th of 2242 public elementary schools	48.5%		49.7	1078^th of 2219 public elementary schools	51.4%	76	43.0	64.0	41.0				66.0	65.0	46.0				44.0				$10,088	$1,833	$8,255
Mirror Lakes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	525 Charwood Ave S	Lehigh Acres	33974	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 369-2200	1,228	66	18.6	67.8%	184 (15.0%)	237 (19.3%)	758 (61.7%)	11 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	35 (2.9%)	39.9	1340^th of 2242 public elementary schools	40.2%		40.7	1298^th of 2219 public elementary schools	41.5%	42	37.0	52.0	43.0				47.0	58.0	58.0				48.0				$10,764	$2,166	$8,598
River Hall Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2800 River Hall Pkwy	Alva	33920	Lee County	Lee	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 693-0349	1,005	56	18.0	53.5%	465 (46.3%)	112 (11.1%)	380 (37.8%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (4.0%)	32.7	1537^th of 2242 public elementary schools	31.4%		35.3	1435^th of 2219 public elementary schools	35.3%	102	36.0	50.0	42.0				52.0	60.0	34.0				41.0				$10,331	$2,356	$7,975
Gateway Charter Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	12850 Commonwealth Dr	Fort Myers	33913	Lee County	Lee	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(239) 768-5048	1,245	62	20.0	67.9%	244 (19.6%)	349 (28.0%)	583 (46.8%)	19 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.3%)	46 (3.7%)	51.9	1050^th of 2242 public elementary schools	53.2%		42.4	1258^th of 2219 public elementary schools	43.3%	208	42.0	67.0					43.0	77.0					85.0				$8,668	$234	$8,434

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunshine Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Sunshine Elementary School?

Students at Sunshine Elementary School are 58% Hispanic, 28% African American, 10% White, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Sunshine Elementary School in?

Lee

How many students attend Sunshine Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,301 students attended Sunshine Elementary School.

Is Sunshine Elementary School a good school?

Sunshine Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.5% of Florida elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Sunshine Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Sunshine Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Harns Marsh Middle School
Middle : Lehigh Acres Middle School
Middle : Oak Hammock Middle School
Middle : Varsity Lakes Middle School
High : Dunbar High School
High : East Lee County High School
High : Lehigh Senior High School
High : Riverdale High School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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