District overview
Hendry County School District
How Hendry County schools are paid for, who decides, and what is being built, from board recordings and district financial reports, November 2025 to October 2026.
How is the district paid for?
Like most Florida districts, Hendry is paid mainly through the state's school funding formula (FEFP), which is based on how many students enroll; the state was 68.9% of revenue in 2024-25. Local property taxes add to that, and in September 2026 the board set a total rate of 5.322 mills. Since 2023 voters have also approved a half-cent sales tax for buildings, safety, technology and buses, watched by a citizen committee. One unusual piece: the district runs the Digital Academy of Florida, a contracted online school, which was its single largest school expense at over $36.3 million in 2024-25.
State formula first
The state paid 68.9% of 2024-25 revenue, mostly through the FEFP formula tied to enrollment.
Property tax set each September
5.322 mills for 2026-27, which is 3.89% above the rollback rate (the rate that would raise the same money as last year).
Sales tax for buildings
The half-cent tax raised about $3.66 million in FY2026, above the $3.5 million expected. It runs through 2042.
Big state grant for a new school
State PECO Special Facilities money is set aside to build the new LaBelle High School.
Hendry spent $8,566 per full-time student at the school level in 2024-25, below the state average of $11,892, but the online school's contracted costs make district averages hard to compare with other districts.
Where the district stands
Reported as 'over $36.3 million'.
Context: 19 recordings were posted on the district's YouTube channel from November 2025 to October 2026; 11 had no captions available and one had unusable captions.
Major projects
New LaBelle High School
Under constructionSite work was underway by March 4, 2026, with footings in and wall panels to be cast around mid-April; a groundbreaking ceremony had been scheduled for March 10. In May the board moved to hire Pathway Project Consulting as owner's representative to manage the construction and architect contracts.
- District awaits final water management construction permit.
- Board hears footings and site work are underway.
- Board moves to hire an owner's representative.
Funding
State PECO Special Facilities funding, plus $1 million a year of half-cent sales tax planned for FY2027 and FY2028
Half-cent sales tax projects, FY2027
PlannedThe oversight committee was shown a $5.74 million FY2027 plan: HVAC, bathroom and paving work ($1.85 million), cameras, fencing and door access control ($1.78 million), network and safety software ($1.01 million) and $1 million for the new high school.
- Oversight committee reviews FY2026 results and FY2027 plan.
- Next scheduled committee meeting.
Funding
Half-cent sales surtax approved by voters in 2022
Digital Academy of Florida turnaround
Improving; school earned a C in 2026The district's contracted online school was placed in state turnaround after two D grades. The district assigned its own principal and cut enrollment to about 5,600 students. Leaders said another D could force a new provider or closure; in July 2026 they reported the school earned a C.
- Town hall reviews turnaround plan.
- Board told the school earned a C.
Funding
State FEFP funding for virtual students
Recent news
Reviewed auto-caption transcripts of 7 official board and town-hall recordings from the district's YouTube channel (December 2025 to September 2026), the 2024-25 state audit, internal funds audits, school financial and annual financial reports, the August 2026 sales-tax oversight committee agenda and slide deck (read visually), Policy 9143 and the 2026-27 code of conduct.
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