The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Caloosa Middle School
Caloosa Middle School sits on Del Prado Boulevard South in Cape Coral, a sprawling, canal-laced residential city on Florida's Gulf Coast that has grown rapidly and continues to expand. The school serves sixth through eighth grade as a regular public school within the Lee County School District, with an enrollment that puts it solidly in the mid-size range for a middle school. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning this is a school with a significant economically diverse population. Racially and ethnically, Hispanic students make up the largest group, followed by white students, with Black students and smaller numbers of other groups rounding out the mix.
On Florida's state assessments, the picture is mixed and in places genuinely soft. In reading and writing (FAST ELA), proficiency rates across all three grades are similar to one another and sit well below the midpoint, meaning fewer than half of students at each grade level are testing proficient. Math tells a more varied story: sixth and eighth graders achieve proficiency at rates just above half, which is meaningfully better than the ELA numbers, but seventh-grade math proficiency drops sharply, landing well below that. The eighth-grade science assessment, the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, shows proficiency below four in ten students. These are reported state figures. Trend data were not available in what was provided, so it is not possible to say from this information whether results have been improving, declining, or holding steady. Parents who want context on trajectory should ask the school directly or check the Florida Department of Education's school report card.
The comparison set available covers districts in Lee County, but the county has only one district, so no meaningful peer comparison is possible from that data alone. Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate data are not applicable here since Caloosa does not serve high school grades. IEP and English learner counts were not reported in the data provided, which is a gap worth raising with the school if those supports matter to your family.
Publicly reported program information shows a small set of student clubs, including a debate club, a garden club, a book club, a SAVE Promise Club (a student-led school safety organization), and SSYRA (a reading program). No dual-enrollment, magnet, or career pathway designations appear in the data for Caloosa. The school's website would be the best source for a fuller picture of course offerings and extracurriculars.
The Lee County district has made two changes families should understand. First, the district moved from an open school-choice model to a proximity-based assignment system, with middle school assignments shifting under the new plan starting in the 2024-2025 school year. Whether a child gets busing now depends on the proximity zone, and students living close to a school are not entitled to district transportation. Second, voters converted the superintendent position from board-appointed to elected and partisan, a governance shift with long-run implications for district leadership and priorities. A voter-approved half-cent sales tax that has funded school construction and safety infrastructure across the district runs through late 2028, and publicly reported coverage notes that district leaders have flagged uncertainty about what happens to capital, technology, and safety funding if it is not renewed.
Cape Coral itself is a car-dependent city built around its canal grid, not a walkable neighborhood with a traditional town center. Commercial life concentrates along a few corridors, Del Prado being one of them, and the city is still adding sidewalks and bike infrastructure. It is one of Florida's fastest-growing cities with substantial land still unbuilt, meaning the pace of neighborhood change and school-age population growth is likely to continue for years. Housing values near the school have declined year over year, and the local market has publicly been described as a buyer's market with elevated inventory, a correction from the post-pandemic surge. Rental costs remain a meaningful share of typical household income under current rates.
Caloosa is a mid-sized neighborhood middle school in a high-growth Florida city, serving a majority economically disadvantaged population with assessment results that fall below state proficiency benchmarks across most tested areas. Families weighing this school will want to probe what targeted academic supports are in place and whether the school's trajectory has improved in recent years.
See more original research from School Decision →