Fort Myers is a great place to live. If you live in South Fort Myers, then you are 2-10 minutes from shopping, 2-10 minutes from local universities, 10 minutes to the country, 10 minutes to the Minnesota twins stadium, or Boston Red Sox stadium, 30 minutes from the beaches and there are open and gated neighborhoods scattered everywhere in between. There is a zoo in Naples, Incredible new malls in Bonita Springs, Outlet malls in Estero, and a water park in Cape Coral. All just minutes from this area. As far as schools are concered, the "best" schools are all over. There is the Lee county school system which operates by "school choice". In otherwords, the parents choose the school they like rather than having to place your child in the school that you are "zoned" in. There are also several private schools and Charter schools in the area. you can google "Lee county schools" and it will give you the stats on each school and the grading of each school.
I live in the Gateway area in South Fort Myers. I am certain you would be able to find your home in this area. Some of the neighborhoods in this area are gated and have their own clubhouse, pool tennis and recreational areas, however gateway community does have a community pool, recreational areas and tennis courts as well. There is an elementary, Jr. High and high school here. The Jr. High and H.S. are a Charter School and is graded an A+ school. It is first come first serve to reserve a place for your child. Please contact me if you would like to know more about our area. My e-mail is cblairbennett@firstcaplend.com My phn is 239-277-9244 Ext. 212 . It would be my pleasure to help you!

Mon Jun 30 2008, 22:07

Hi Michelle,
Lee County does have a school choice program, so you rank the schools within your zone and the school district tries to give you the closest to the top of your list as possible. You will probably want to be in the South zone district which will include the majority of Fort Myers and South Fort Myers. If you want a little more property a good place to start looking is off of Briarcliff Rd and then off of Daniels Pkwy in the Plantation Rd area. I am from Fort Myers and my children attend the schools here. I live in the eastern part of Fort Myers and am very happy with the school my child is in at River Hall Elementary. This area of town has more acreage as it is considered a little "out in the county" Let me know if you have any other questions. I can send you a list of some homes in the areas that I mentioned if you let me know your price range. I hope that I can be of further assistance to you!
Terra Anderson
Southwest Florida's Family Realtor
Century 21 Sunbelt Realty
239-590-5731
terraanderson@yahoo.com
www.welcomehomefortmyers.com

Tue May 13 2008, 19:08

Hi Michelle,
As a former school administrator and a parent, I can truly relate to your concern about educational programing.

Our recommendation is to plan visit your target areas with not only the purpose of looking for a home but visiting some schools, meeting with school officials and talking in depth about specific programs, and basically collecting information that will assist you in making an informed decision. Also of supreme importance is to involve the children in this process....

If done right, this seemingly difficult task could be rolled into a fun filled vacation that creates a very positive and rewarding experience. Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions regarding the area, the schools, or the home buying process.

Our best regards,

The "Eckler Team"
Century 21 Almar and Associates
Venice, Fl 34285
ecklerteam@comcast.net
941-408-5363

Good luck,

Mon May 12 2008, 17:57

What is the IB program? Sounds very interesting - I've never heard of school choice. Can anyone give me an idea of what a 3000 square foot 4 bedroom home (less than 5 years old) with a 1/2 acre with no homes behind you would cost? And a rough idea of taxes? Also, is this area the suburbs, more city like? I'm just trying to compare cost of living and get a little info. on the area. We are seriously considering relocating from NJ.

Sat May 10 2008, 14:25

Ft. Myers is great!! We have lived here for the last 4 years and had children in the school system. Like the other person said it is a school of choice system. That means depending on where you live you will be in a certain zone. In that zone there could be several schools. Let's say that there are 5 high schools in that zone. You would have to pick them in the order that you would want. Like 1st pick all the way to the 5th pick. You would have to put them in order and order them all. If there are 10 then pick #1-10. My daughter is currently going to school in buckingham and we live in Ft. Myers. It was her first choice and we got it. There is also alot of schools with different programs, tech, arts, IB,etc.
If you are looking for a half an acre lot, then I would say an area called buckingham or Alva. There is some really nice area's there with new construction. Of course, the prices are great right now. It is a great time to buy! I would love to help you with information on the schools and housing. Please email me direct or call me.
Cyndi Grabowski
Keller Williams World Class
239-887-2635
Grabthehousekey.com
grabthehousekey@kw.com

Sat May 10 2008, 14:02

Also, below is a blog about Lee County Schools for your review.

Sat May 10 2008, 09:10

Michelle,

In Lee County we have school choice. This means that you are able to pick which schools in your zone you'd like your children to attend. There are not a lot of communities with 1/2 acre lots. Most are on 1/4 acre. You can search all the homes from our website.

Sat May 10 2008, 09:03