The Sanibel School: Educational Excellence

The school year is once again in full swing at The Sanibel School, a place of true educational excellence. The island school serves kids in grades kindergarten through eighth on Sanibel and Captiva islands, with nearly 300 public school kids enrolled this school year alone. Listed as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, the school partners with such local groups as the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the Sanibel Shell Club and the Sanibel Rec Center, collectively working to aid with the educational development of students. Also recently announced as a Franklin Covey Leader in Me school, the Sanibel School reflects upon the instruction methods of Covey’s “7 Habits of Happy Kids” in helping children attain and sustain certain academic standards. That certainly shows in the school’s ranking, with a high number of students proficient in key subjects such as English, math and civics. That’s much higher, in fact, than the state average. The school additionally boasts a low ratio of students to teachers, and a high percentage of certified teachers with at least several years of experience in the classroom. The school prides itself on its STEM classes, including science, technology, engineering and math, as well as its robotics and coding courses. The Sanibel School additionally provides a school-wide fine arts program, PE and recess for each grade and older students have the option of participating in school sports. As well, the school offers a gifted program, student government, an honor choir and environmental studies. The Sanibel School is the only school on Sanibel Island. As there isn’t a high school, older kids living there ride a bus to the mainland after eighth grade. As for younger students, those living off the island also have a chance to go to the school. They, however, must apply for a waiver and be approved in order to attend classes at The Sanibel School.