JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is an average-sized elementary school in FORT MYERS, Florida, run under LEE. The school caters to 730 students in grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 21% above the state mean of about 604.

LEE comprises 116 schools with combined enrollment of 102,524 students; JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL shows that the most-represented group is Hispanic (53%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest looks like 39% Black, 5% White, 2% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 25% Hispanic, putting the school's mix noticeably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 20.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.5:1, putting JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 71% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Lee County's rate of about 48%.

With demographic context factored in, On a poverty-adjusted basis, JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 45.5%; actual is 30.3%, a gap of -15.2 points.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Lee County put the typical household earns roughly $76,107 per year, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. In all, Lee County runs 123 public schools (combined enrollment of about 102,524 students), of which JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one.

EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING SERVICES is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), JAMES STEPHENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 4th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 34.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged up 88%: 389 students in 2018 compared to 730 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share expanded from 43% to 53%. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 10.0:1 in 2018 to 20.0:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.