Changes are coming to the student enrollment process for the School District of Lee County.
The changes were presented to the school board on Nov. 4 regarding enrollment for the upcoming year. Changes included middle school proximity, with the addition of K-8 schools in Cape Coral and North Fort Myers.
Office of School Choice and Administration Executive Director Clayton Simmons began the first reading briefing of student enrollment for the 2026-27 school year by sharing that the body of the document has been organized and switched around for better organization and flow.
He said changes include the addition of Bayshore, Hector A. Cafferata Jr. and James Stephens as middle school options, pending board approval of their name change. Bayshore will be added to middle proximity zone CC and Hector A. Cafferata Jr. will be added to proximity zone AA to support the opening of K-8 schools.
Simmons said James Stephens will not be included as the middle school choice application, as students currently at James Stephens will be preplaced in grades 6 and 7.
He said there will be appropriate student distribution among AA and the broader Cape area.
Another addition is the actual high school choice application. Simmons said Island Coast High School will no longer be an option for zone E1, as there is a busing issue relative to low student numbers.
“It will still be an option for W3,” Simmons said.
Sibling placement is another section of student enrollment, which now has more specific definitions for sibling placement during the open enrollment window.
District Student Enrollment Interim Administrator Samanatha Fields said parents are responsible for ensuring siblings are connected via parent name and address in the parent portal.
“If siblings are not properly linked, it does risk the possibility of being split up amongst different schools,” she said.
The eligibility pool and waitlist are also part of the 2026-27 plan. The waitlist will be implemented for the 2026-27 school year from April until the last Friday of August and then again at the end of the first and second quarters.
There is also a revision to the number of waivers — as the plan no longer has a need for the advanced program/magnet program exit waiver or second semester transfer requests. Fields said there are details on the FOCUS portal regarding steps to enter waivers online, as well as windows when certain waivers are accepted.
“It further explains no waiver or choice application are accepted for current students after second semester for 11th grade,” she said.
The plan also emphasizes that district transportation will not be given to students that reside less than two miles from their school.
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