Learning Curve

Say the word "Florida," and most people think of sunscreen, old folks or oranges. Seldom do bright young scholars or outstanding schools come to mind. Still, you can find good public and private schools in Southwest Florida if you know where and how to look.

LEE COUNTY

The choices among public schools in Collier and Lee counties continue to expand, along with the area's rapidly growing population. "Growth is our biggest challenge," says James Browder, superintendent of the School District of Lee County. "But we continue to deal with it in as positive a fashion as we can."

Several new Lee County schools have opened for the 2005-2006 academic year, including four elementary schools, a middle school, South Fort Myers High School and East Lee County High School in Lehigh Acres (ninth-graders only). In addition, other schools-such as Trafalgar Elementary and the newer Mariner Middle-have undergone expansions.

Serving more than 75,000 students, the school district of Lee County has "a curriculum that meets the needs of all students, from the most talented to the ones with the greatest needs," says Browder. Options for students include dual enrollment programs that let eligible high school students earn college credits, and three high schools that emphasize specific subject areas: science and technology at the new Ida S. Baker High School in Cape Coral, which moved to its permanent 40-acre site this year; arts at Cypress Lake High School in south Lee; and Fort Myers High School's International Baccalaureate program, an intensive college prep program that helped make the school No. 63 on Newsweek's 2005 list of the nation's top 100 high schools.

As part of a court-ordered resolution to combat school segregation, Lee County adopted a School Choice program in the 1990s that divides the district into three zones-east, west and south. Parents register their children at one of two Parent Information Centers and choose among a group of schools in the zone in which they live. "We work hard to ensure that folks get close to their first choice, if not their first choice," says Browder.

Charter schools have become an increasingly popular option. As of fall 2005, nine of these publicly funded, privately operated schools were open in Lee County.

COLLIER COUNTY

Collier County's public school system also faces rapid population growth. Four new schools opened for the 2004-2005 school year, bringing the countywide total to 44. Currently serving more than 41,000 students and facing enrollment projections that add 8,000 students over the next five years, the district plans to build new schools-some opening in the fall of 2006-and expand existing ones to create 13,000 new permanent student seats.

Collier County enjoys a solid tax base and should be able to meet capital needs for future construction with few problems, school officials say. Although Collier is widely perceived as a wealthy county, the district has a diverse student population that is about 39 percent Hispanic and 5 percent Haitian. Approximately 38 percent of its students come from non-English-speaking households, and close to half are classified as economically needy. "We are a reflection of society and what the work-force make-up is and will be in the future," says Kathy Curatolo, vice chair of the school board.

The district's strengths include "the eclectic array of courses we offer and our stringent focus on individualized instruction," says Curatolo. Almost 50 percent of Collier County's 2,800 public school teachers hold advanced degrees, and schools are equipped with the latest technology, including 18,000 networked computers. The district also offers an advanced placement laureate program that allows high school students to earn college credits.

HOW THEY RANK

In its most recent "Education Quotient" study, Expansion Management awarded Lee County a slightly higher score than Collier County. Aimed at business executives contemplating corporate moves, the magazine compares school districts across the United States and bases its ratings mainly on College Board scores and school graduation rates. In 2004, Lee ranked in the 28th percentile of the 2,800 districts surveyed; Collier ranked in the 21st percentile.

Although the two Southwest Florida districts don't rank high, Bill King, chief editor of Expansion Management, points out that each district is large enough to include some good public schools. Parents trying to pick the best schools for their children should compare national standardized test scores like the SAT or ACT, look for high graduation rates and large percentages of college-bound graduates, and choose schools with few disciplinary problems.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

For those with the means, private and parochial schools offer an alternative to Southwest Florida's public schools. Options in Lee and Collier counties include outstanding private schools such as Canterbury School in Fort Myers and Seacrest Country Day School in Naples. Catholic schools like Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers and Saint Ann School in Naples offer a good education with a heavy religious emphasis, as do the many Protestant Christian schools in the region. Tuitions at local private and parochial schools range from several thousand dollars a year to about $18,000; financial aid is sometimes available.

Graduates of these schools routinely attend top colleges and universities across the nation. And like local public schools, many private schools are growing-including the Community School of Naples, which recently purchased more than 80 acres of land next to its present campus to handle future growth.

COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES

Southwest Florida is home to several young but growing colleges and universities. Eight-year-old Florida Gulf Coast University in Estero, part of the state university system, has more than 6,000 students in about 60 undergraduate and graduate programs. Edison College offers courses at Lee and Collier campuses. International College, a private college with campuses in Naples and Fort Myers, caters primarily to older working students. Ave Maria University, a new Catholic university founded by Domino's Pizza pioneer Tom Monaghan, will open a permanent campus between Naples and the small town of Immokalee in late 2006; for now, undergraduate and adult classes meet at a temporary campus in Naples.