Fort Lauderdale Schools Guide

Public schools in Fort Lauderdale are run by Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), whose KCW Administration Center on Third Avenue is listed with the phone 754-321-0000 (Broward County Public Schools).

The full name and address the district gives is the Kathleen C. Wright (KCW) Administration Center, 600 S.E. Third Avenue, Fort Lauderdale FL 33301 (BCPS). On the September 14, 2026 benchmark day Broward enrolled 224,324 students, 46,749 of them in charter schools, and the district reports a 97.5 percent federal graduation rate for traditional high schools in 2024/25 (centers and charters excluded) and 91.8 percent average daily attendance for 2025/26 (BCPS About Us). Florida Department of Education figures posted by the district put average spending at $10,885 per student across all programs in 2024-25 (BCPS).

BCPS describes itself as the sixth largest school system in the U.S. and the first fully accredited school system in Florida, since 1962 (BCPS About Us). For the 2026/27 school year it counts 233 district schools, including 128 elementary, 34 middle and 31 high schools, plus 82 charter schools, for 315 in total across Broward County (BCPS). The district reported 27,848 total employees, 12,709 of them instructional staff, as of September 9, 2025 (BCPS About Us).

The Broward student body is large and varied: on the September 8, 2025 benchmark day, 39.5 percent of students were Hispanic, 14.4 percent were English Language Learners and 69.9 percent qualified for free or reduced lunch (BCPS). The district buses more than 54,000 students on more than 750 routes (BCPS About Us).

Broward County Public Schools reports no D or F schools in the latest Florida Department of Education grades, and it calls itself an A rated district for the third consecutive year (BCPS About Us).

The Broward grade counts above come from the district's About Us page (BCPS). One labeling quirk is worth knowing: the page calls the July 1, 2026 release 2026-27 School Grades for district schools but 2025-26 School Grades for charter elementary, middle and high schools, and 2026-27 again for charter combination schools (BCPS About Us). The page does not explain the difference, so the release date, July 1, 2026, is the safer way to refer to these grades. BCPS centers and colleges do not receive letter grades from the state (BCPS).

Fort Lauderdale High School, at 1600 NE Fourth Avenue, offers a Cambridge AICE Programme and a Pre-Law and Public Affairs magnet, and its phone is 754-322-1100 (Fort Lauderdale High School).

The school says it was established in 1915, describes itself as A rated and reports a 99 percent graduation rate; those are the school's own figures (Fort Lauderdale High). For middle grades, BCPS announced that New River Middle School earned distinction as a Nationally Certified Demonstration Magnet School (BCPS).

Families comparing schools should note the calendar: the BCPS events list shows report cards issued on October 21, 2026, and the district's school choice application window closes on January 15, 2027 (BCPS calendar; BCPS Redefining page). The Fort Lauderdale public schools guide on Digital Towns covers individual schools and magnet programs in more depth.

Yes, Broward County Public Schools is deciding which under-enrolled schools to close, combine or repurpose under its Redefining initiative for 2026-27, with the School Board's final vote set for December 15, 2026 (BCPS Redefining page).

The page states the reason two ways. Its introduction says BCPS has lost more than 48,000 students over the past decade, more than $430 million in funding, and has over 60,000 empty student seats; its FAQ says the district lost more than 60,000 students and over $500 million in state funding over 10 years (BCPS). The page does not reconcile the two figures.

One proposal touches a Fort Lauderdale school, Dillard High 6-12 at 2501 NW 11th St. (City of Fort Lauderdale). One option moves the students of William Dandy Middle into Parkway Middle; the other moves the middle school students at Dillard 6-12 into Parkway Middle, returns Dillard to a 9-12 school and keeps William E. Dandy Middle as a 6-8 school (BCPS Redefining page). After the November 4, 2026 workshop, the superintendent's final recommendations memo is due November 5, and impacted families and staff are to be notified on December 16 (BCPS).

The Secure the Next Generation Referendum on the November 3, 2026 Broward ballot asks voters to renew the one-mill property tax for public schools that voters already approved; BCPS says it is not a new tax (Referendum 2026).

BCPS says the money would continue compensation supplements to recruit and retain teachers and eligible staff, maintain school resource officers and safety staff, and keep programs such as student mental health services, for all Broward public schools including charter schools (BCPS). If the renewal fails, the district says it would lose approximately $358 million a year now funding those positions and supplements (Referendum 2026).

Fort Lauderdale voters will find the renewal on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. One of the three district town halls on it was held on October 7 at the K.C. Wright Administration Center (BCPS).

The City of Fort Lauderdale uses its Parks Bond to improve recreation space at public school sites, and the bond list names Dillard 6-12, Stranahan High and several elementary and middle schools (Parks Bond Program).

At Dillard 6-12, 2501 NW 11th St., a $100,000 tennis court renovation was completed in 2024 after the planning phase for school park sites began in August 2023 (Dillard 6-12 project page). At Stranahan High School, 1800 SW 5th Pl., the $300,000 project finished select improvements in 2024, and the rest, including a basketball court, fitness equipment, a shaded playground and a walking trail, is pending approval from the school board (Stranahan High School project page).

Other Fort Lauderdale school sites on the bond list include Harbordale Elementary, Rock Island Elementary, Stephen Foster Elementary, Sunrise Middle, Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Virginia Shuman Young Elementary and Westwood Heights Elementary (City of Fort Lauderdale). Last verified: October 18, 2026, on five Broward County Public Schools pages and three City of Fort Lauderdale Parks Bond pages.

One deeper guide sits in the Fort Lauderdale schools section, the Fort Lauderdale public schools guide, and this hub answers the district-wide questions around it.

The Fort Lauderdale public schools guide covers the district's presence in the city, notable schools and magnet programs, performance and accountability, enrollment trends and facilities planning, and funding and bond oversight. This hub covers who runs Broward County Public Schools and how to reach the district, the latest school grade counts, Fort Lauderdale High School programs, the Redefining initiative timeline, the November 3, 2026 referendum, and the City of Fort Lauderdale's school park projects.