The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in Math. The lowest is 49% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pelican Elementary School
Pelican Elementary sits in the southwest quadrant of Cape Coral, a city built almost entirely around a vast engineered canal system rather than any traditional town core. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public elementary school within Lee County Schools. It carries a fairly substantial enrollment for its grade band, spread fairly evenly across grade levels with a healthy prekindergarten cohort.
The student body is roughly split between white and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Black students and students identifying as two or more races. Just over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning economic diversity is real and present. Data on English learner rates and students with individualized education programs was not available in what we reviewed.
On Florida's FAST assessments, Pelican's math results tell a story of solid performance in the earlier tested grades that softens by fifth grade. Third and fourth graders scored well above the midpoint on math proficiency, a genuine bright spot. Fifth-grade math and reading results across all three tested grades land closer to or just below the halfway mark, with fourth-grade ELA reading as the lowest of the reported results. The fifth-grade science assessment came in just under half of students proficient. These are not alarming numbers, but a parent hoping to see strong ELA momentum through the upper elementary years may want to ask the school about its reading intervention supports and how students are tracked as they approach the middle grades. Trend data was not available, so whether results are improving, holding steady, or declining cannot be said from what we have.
No special program offerings were reported in the data we reviewed, so families interested in specific enrichment tracks, gifted services, or language programs would want to ask the school directly.
Cape Coral itself shapes the day-to-day context in ways that matter. It is car-dependent by design, originally laid out without sidewalks outside the downtown area. Publicly reported sources note the city has since added sidewalks near schools and built out bike routes, but driving remains how most families get around. The nearest commercial activity is along corridors like Pine Island Road rather than a walkable neighborhood center. On the housing side, home values in this zip code sit above both the Florida and national medians as of mid-2026, and values have pulled back noticeably year over year, which places this area in what publicly reported sources describe as a buyer's market correction. Rents have also eased slightly. Monthly ownership costs relative to income are a real consideration for families weighing this neighborhood.
Three district-level changes are worth knowing. Lee County overhauled its student assignment system starting in 2023, moving from a broad school-choice model to a proximity-based plan that assigns students to schools closer to home and limits busing largely to students within a defined zone who live beyond a certain distance. Families relocating into Cape Coral should verify their specific address and assigned school before assuming. Second, Lee County voters made the superintendent an elected, partisan position, with the first such election in 2024, a governance shift that changes how district leadership is chosen and accountable. Third, a half-cent sales tax running through late 2028 has funded capital construction and school safety upgrades across the district, including weapons detection technology. District leaders have publicly flagged concern about what happens to construction, safety, and technology funding if voters do not renew it.
For a family with young children settling into the southwest Cape Coral area, Pelican offers a moderately large, economically mixed elementary school with math strengths in the primary grades and reading results that are worth monitoring through the upper elementary years.
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