School District of Lee County is shrinking high school bus zones

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

The Lee County School District is shrinking high school bus zones to reduce long, early-morning routes.

It's all part of the district's 2026-2027 transportation plan.

The Lee County School District says the average high school bus ride is 90 minutes long. The first student is picked up at 3:43 a.m.

"So really what we were trying to do is address the most egregious kind of routing and mileage situations and pickup times and drop off times. The goal was really to kind of fix all three tiers," said Adam Molly with the Lee County School District.

Under the new system, the district is shrinking transportation boundaries for nine high schools.

That means roughly 900 students who live outside a subzone will not have busing provided. Those students must decide if they will provide their own transportation or go to a closer school under school choice.

"We understand why a kid shouldn't get picked up at four in the morning and drive three hours to high school and then drive three hours back, right. Create a system that works for families and communities," said Molloy.

This change already has parents talking.

"It needs to be reformed. I see the stops that they have, and I feel like the stops could be changed, the routes could be changed, and it would minimize the traffic situation, the time situation. I know there's a time management factor, which is what they're working on, and that's the biggest issue that can be remedied without eliminating," said Lee County parent Melissa Moore.

Students can still attend a high school outside their zone, but they must provide their own ride. The district says the decision is up to them.

"What high school would I like to attend? Does that high school get transportation right? I think that's the really big one, because 97% of our high school students already live in the subzones where it gets transportation. Those that don't, you're going to have to make a choice," Molloy said.

The school district says you can interact with the map and see which subzone provides transportation here.

All changes take effect in August of this year.

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