Summary:
In zip code 33909, there is one middle school, Diplomat Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 with a large enrollment of 1,097 students in Cape Coral, part of the Lee County School District.
Diplomat Middle School presents a striking contrast in academic performance. The school excels in advanced coursework, with 87% of students proficient in Algebra 1 and 76% proficient in Civics, both well above state averages. However, the majority of students in standard math classes struggle significantly, with only 45% proficiency in 6th grade math and 41% in 7th grade math, compared to state averages of 60% and 53% respectively. The school's state ranking has been volatile, moving from the 57th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 41st percentile in 2025-2026, indicating inconsistent year-over-year performance across grade levels and subjects. A critical concern is the chronic absenteeism rate of 37.4%, which is nearly 6 percentage points higher than the state average and likely a major factor in the school's overall middling performance.
While Diplomat Middle School often underperforms the state average, it frequently outperforms its own district in several subjects, including Algebra 1, Civics, and some English Language Arts grades. This suggests the school is a relative bright spot within a struggling district ranked 56th out of 70 in Florida. With a high student-teacher ratio of 21.8:1 and nearly half of students (49%) qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school faces significant challenges. The key takeaway for parents is that this school excels at accelerating high-performing students into advanced courses but struggles to bring the majority of students to grade-level proficiency in core subjects, with chronic absenteeism being a critical underlying issue that needs attention.
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