Summary:
This analysis examines four elementary schools in Fort Myers, FL (zip code 33905) serving grades PK-5: Orange River Elementary, James Stephens Elementary, Manatee Elementary, and Tice Elementary, all part of the Lee school district, which ranks in the bottom 20% of Florida districts.
Tice Elementary stands out as the highest-performing school in the area, with the best state ranking (17th percentile), the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (26.7%), and strong math proficiency—especially in 4th grade, where 64% of students meet standards, exceeding both district and state averages. Orange River Elementary shows the most improvement, with dramatic gains in 5th-grade science (from 33% to 50% proficient) and 5th-grade ELA (from 32% to 48%). In contrast, James Stephens Elementary faces the greatest challenges, with the lowest ranking (4th percentile), highest chronic absenteeism (36.5%), and highest free/reduced lunch rate (71.1%). A two-tier system is emerging: Tice and Orange River show stability and improvement, while Manatee Elementary and James Stephens struggle with declining rankings and lower proficiency.
Key takeaways include a clear link between attendance and performance—schools with lower chronic absenteeism achieve better results. Math is a relative strength across all schools, while ELA scores consistently lag behind district averages, pointing to a need for literacy support. Interestingly, higher spending per student does not guarantee better outcomes; Tice and James Stephens spend the most ($13,980 and $13,788 per student) but have very different performance levels, suggesting resource effectiveness varies widely.
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