The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts
Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts sits on West Terry Street in Bonita Springs, serving sixth through eighth graders in a public, non-charter school within Lee County Schools. The arts-focused identity is embedded in its name and is the defining feature of the school's program, though the data provided does not detail which specific arts disciplines or concentrations are offered. Families drawn by that identity will want to ask the school directly about visual arts, performing arts, and any audition or application requirements.
The student body is a mid-sized middle school. Hispanic students make up the large majority of enrollment, with white students comprising most of the remainder and small shares of other groups. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school roughly in the middle range for economic diversity. Data on English learner rates and special education populations were not reported in what was available, so those are gaps a parent may want to raise with the school.
State assessment results, drawn from Florida's FAST assessments for the 2024-25 school year, show an uneven picture across grade levels and subjects. In math, eighth graders performed well above the midpoint, reaching a strong proficiency rate, while sixth graders landed near the midpoint and seventh graders came in well below it. That seventh-grade math figure is a soft spot worth a conversation with school staff, particularly for families with children at or entering that grade. In ELA, results are more consistent: sixth, seventh, and eighth graders all landed in a moderate range, hovering around or just below the midpoint. Eighth-grade science results, on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, came in below the midpoint. No prior-year trend data was available for comparison, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement or decline.
The school sits inside Lee County Schools, a district that has undergone real structural change in recent years. The district shifted from an open School Choice assignment system to a proximity-based model beginning in 2023-24 at the elementary level and extending to middle school in 2024-25. For families considering this school, that means enrollment eligibility and transportation depend on where you live relative to the school's zone, not district-wide open choice. Busing is not guaranteed for students close to a school. A voter-approved sales tax running through 2028 has funded capital projects, safety systems, and technology across the district; its scheduled expiration is an open question district leaders have noted publicly. Lee County voters also shifted the superintendent role to a partisan elected position starting with the 2024 election cycle, a governance change with longer-term implications for district direction.
The Bonita Springs housing market sits above both the state and national median home values, though values have pulled back over the past year. Rents have edged up slightly. At current mortgage rates, the monthly cost of ownership is substantially higher than renting, and the rent-to-income ratio is meaningful by national standards. Bonita Springs is a growing community, with population rising steadily and major mixed-use development shifting east of I-75. The city skews older and seasonal, with a winter population surge that shapes the texture of local life. Downtown along Old 41 Road is walkable and community-anchored, with Riverside Park, the county library branch, and regular public events. Outside that core, the city is car-dependent.
The comparison data for Lee County showed only one district in the county set, so no meaningful peer positioning on proficiency, graduation, or absenteeism was calculable. Graduation rate does not apply here because this is a middle school. A discipline or absenteeism figure for this school specifically was not available.
For a family weighing this school, the clearest picture is this: it is an arts-integrated public middle school in a growing, higher-cost community, with variable academic results by grade and subject, a student body that is majority Hispanic and economically mixed, and a district that has recently changed how enrollment and transportation work. The arts mission is the hook, and the academic profile invites follow-up questions, especially around seventh-grade math support.
See more original research from School Decision →