Class of 2026 graduates of The School District of Lee County earned a collective $79.9 million in scholarships, the district announced.
Leading the charge this year was Cape Coral High School, whose seniors brought in $17.4 million, followed closely by Gateway High School at $12.9 million, and Fort Myers High School at $8 million.
A significant portion of this year's funding came through the Florida Bright Futures Program, which awarded over $21 million in tuition coverage to district graduates. Nearly 900 local students qualified for these state scholarships, with 506 earning the top-tier Florida Academic Scholarship (covering 100% of in-state tuition) and 369 securing the Florida Medallion Scholarship (covering 75% of in-state tuition).
While thousands of graduates are pursuing higher education, many others are using their District foundations to immediately impact the economy, with hundreds jumping straight into the workforce, enlisting in the Armed Forces, or starting their own businesses.
The number of graduates pursuing various paths are:
- Attend a four-year college or university: 1,968
- Attend a two-year community or state college: 1,651
- Attend a technical college or school: 917
- Enter the workforce: 636
- Enter the armed forces: 353
- Start a business: 125
