Summary:
Zip code 33901 in Fort Myers, Florida, is home to three distinct high schools serving a total of 2,191 students across grades 6 through 12, offering a wide range of educational experiences from a top-performing traditional school to specialized alternative programs.
The standout performer in the area is Fort Myers High School, a large traditional public school with 1,835 students that earns a 4-star rating and ranks in the top 25% of all Florida high schools. It boasts an exceptional 98.7% graduation rate, far exceeding the Lee district average of 89.8%, and has a relatively low chronic absenteeism rate of 28.4%. In stark contrast, Coronado High School faces significant challenges as a smaller alternative school (294 students) with a 0-star rating, a critically low 34.7% graduation rate, and a staggering 90.4% chronic absenteeism rate. Pace School For Girls stands out for its unique structure as a single-gender school with only 62 students and a remarkably low 7.7:1 student-teacher ratio, though its academic performance data is unavailable for comparison.
Key takeaways reveal that chronic absenteeism is the defining factor separating these schools, with Coronado's 90.4% rate directly correlating to its low test scores and graduation rate. Spending per student does not guarantee success, as Fort Myers High School ($9,951) and Coronado High School ($9,457) spend similar amounts but achieve vastly different results. The economic divide is also apparent, with 30.57% of Fort Myers students qualifying for free/reduced lunch compared to 56.12% at Coronado. Pace School For Girls remains an enigma due to missing academic data, but its high chronic absenteeism (78.4%) suggests its small class sizes may not fully overcome attendance challenges.
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