When the first Dunbar High School was constructed in 1926 it was specifically built for African American students during segregation and was the third public high school in Lee County. It served students from across southwest Florida, including some who travelled by bus from Charlotte County.
The original building graduated its last class in 1962, and students moved to a new Dunbar Senior High School, but in 1969 it was closed due to changes required by federal desegregation and Black students were reassigned to other public schools around Lee County.
In 2000, a new Dunbar High School was built under the mascot “Fighting Tigers,” and it has grown into a highly regarded technology magnet school with robust STEM, International Baccalaureate, and technology programs, including the Academy for Technology Excellence and the Center for Math & Science.
The school offers more than 33 IT Certifications, mostly in Microsoft systems but also Adobe and others, all for free for students. Since 2011, Dunbar students have won 3 world championships, 8 national championships, and 37 state champions in the Microsoft Office Specialist competitions.
A recent Dunbar graduate just finished competing in the 2025 Microsoft World Championship in Orlando after winning the National Championship in Grapevine, Texas so we thought it would be a good time to shine some light on what’s happening at Dunbar High School these days.
Guests:
Denise Spence is the IT Programs Manager at Dunbar High School in Fort Myers. She’s been at the school for 25 years.
Brenden Fruauff is a recent graduate of Dunbar High. He represented the school at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in late July. He is the current national champion for the PowerPoint portion of the competition.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.