Fort Lauderdale serves as the administrative headquarters of Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), the fourth-largest school district in Florida and one of the largest in the United States, with its central offices at 600 SE 3rd Avenue in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The city's educational landscape includes public schools with histories stretching to the late nineteenth century, a constellation of BCPS magnet and technical programs, and significant higher-education institutions — most notably Broward College's A. Hugh Adams Central Campus and Nova Southeastern University's 314-acre campus in adjacent Davie — accessible to Fort Lauderdale residents.
The district has documented a range of specialized initiatives, including a computer science partnership with Code.org under the #BrowardCODES program and district-wide chess instruction for second-grade students, as described on the BCPS official website. The Broward Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3), is identified as the sole charitable organization dedicated exclusively to supporting BCPS.
School district
Broward County Public Schools governs all public K–12 education in Fort Lauderdale and throughout Broward County. The district is administered by an elected school board and a superintendent; Dr. Howard Hepburn assumed the superintendency in April 2024, according to district records. For the 2023–2024 school year, the Florida Department of Education assigned BCPS an A district grade — the first time the district achieved that rating since 2011, as reported by WSVN 7News and NBC Miami. At the start of the 2025–26 school year, CBS News Miami reported district-wide enrollment of approximately 236,000 students across public and charter schools — a decrease of roughly 10,000 in one year, attributed by officials to private school voucher growth, smaller family sizes, and population movement. The district maintains a Bond Oversight Committee to provide accountability for a voter-approved General Obligation Bond referendum, as described on the committee's official website. U.S. News documents minority enrollment at 90% and economically disadvantaged students at 35% of the district population.
Schools in Schools in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale High School
Located at 1600 NE 4th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale High School is the oldest continuously functioning high school in Broward County, with records tracing its founding to 1899. The school's official BCPS-hosted site states it is ranked in the top 7% of all U.S. high schools by U.S. News. The campus hosts two magnet programs: the Cambridge International AICE programme, whose diploma is recognized in 167 countries, and the Pre-Law and Public Affairs magnet covering criminal justice, law, and public service tracks.
More on Fort Lauderdale High SchoolFort Lauderdale High School — Cambridge International AICE Magnet
The Cambridge International programme at Fort Lauderdale High School offers the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) diploma, recognized in 167 countries, along with access to more than 30 college-level courses, according to the BCPS-hosted program page. The program qualifies graduates for Florida's Bright Futures scholarship and received the National Merit Award of Excellence from Magnet Schools of America in 2019. BCPS named the district Cambridge District of the Year in 2017/18 and 2020/21.
More on Fort Lauderdale High School — Cambridge International AICE MagnetFort Lauderdale High School — Pre-Law and Public Affairs Magnet
The Pre-Law and Public Affairs magnet at Fort Lauderdale High School provides a college-preparatory curriculum organized around four tracks: criminal justice, law, public service, and social work, according to the program's official BCPS page. The program is co-located with the Cambridge AICE magnet on the campus at 1600 NE 4th Avenue. Both magnet programs operate within Broward County Public Schools' district-wide magnet framework.
More on Fort Lauderdale High School — Pre-Law and Public Affairs MagnetDillard High School 6–12
Located at 2501 NW 11th Street, Dillard High School serves grades 6 through 12 and occupies a historically significant position in Fort Lauderdale's northwest corridor — the school was established in 1907 to serve the city's historically Black community, predating Broward County's formal desegregation in 1966, per BCPS district records. The campus houses the Dillard Center for the Arts, which provides performing arts training in dance, music, theater, and visual arts alongside the school's standard academic and magnet programs in Performing Arts and Computer Technology.
More on Dillard High School 6–12Sheridan Technical College and Technical High School
Sheridan Technical College and Technical High School, located at 3775 SW 16th Street in Fort Lauderdale, is identified by Broward County Public Schools as one of three technical colleges within the district's system of high school magnet sites, according to the BCPS High School Magnet Program Themes page. The institution offers technical and career education pathways integrated within the BCPS structure, combining high school coursework with workforce-oriented certifications accessible to Broward County students.
More on Sheridan Technical College and Technical High SchoolBroward College — A. Hugh Adams Central Campus
Broward College was created by the Florida Legislature in 1959 and opened its first class of 701 students on September 6, 1960, in facilities at the former Naval Air Station adjacent to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, according to the college's official history. The A. Hugh Adams Central Campus, the institution's permanent home, opened in 1963. As of figures published on the college's official site, Broward College serves more than 51,000 students and employs more than 3,300 faculty and staff, ranking as the third-largest institution in the Florida College System.
More on Broward College — A. Hugh Adams Central CampusNova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University's main campus spans 314 acres in Davie, immediately adjacent to Fort Lauderdale's western boundary. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance describes the institution as the largest private research university in Florida, with approximately 24,000 students. The university functions as a major area employer and is accessible to Fort Lauderdale residents as part of the broader South Florida higher-education landscape. Its presence is documented in the Alliance's higher-education resources as a defining anchor of the regional economy.
More on Nova Southeastern UniversitySources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs Used for: Population (183,032), median age (42.9), median household income ($79,935), median home value ($455,600), poverty rate (15.2%), unemployment rate (5.3%), labor force participation (73%), renter-occupied housing (46.2%), bachelor's degree attainment (23.8%)
- About Us — Broward County Public Schools https://www.browardschools.com/about-us Used for: District headquarters location, Cambridge District of the Year awards, #BrowardCODES initiative, technical college certifications, 2024-25 school grades sourcing, chess program
- Fort Lauderdale High School — Official BCPS Site https://fortlauderdale.browardschools.com/ Used for: FLHS school address (1600 NE 4th Ave), A-rated status, U.S. News top 7% national ranking, established 1915 institutional identity, Cambridge AICE and Pre-Law magnet programs listed
- Cambridge International — Fort Lauderdale High School (BCPS) https://fortlauderdale.browardschools.com/academics/academic-pathways/cambridge-international Used for: AICE diploma recognized in 167 countries, access to 30+ college-level courses, Bright Futures scholarship qualification, National Merit Award of Excellence 2019 from Magnet Schools of America
- Pre-Law and Public Affairs Magnet — Fort Lauderdale High School (BCPS) https://fortlauderdale.browardschools.com/academics/academic-pathways/magnet-programs/pre-law-and-public-affairs Used for: Pre-Law program description, curriculum tracks including criminal justice, law, public service, and social work
- High School Magnet Program Themes — Broward County Public Schools https://www.browardschools.com/bcps-departments/strategy-innovation/magnet-programs/explore-by-themes/high-school-magnet-program-themes Used for: Sheridan Technical College and Technical High School location (3775 SW 16th Street, Fort Lauderdale) and program listing
- Dillard High 6-12 — Official BCPS Site https://dillard612.browardschools.com/ Used for: Dillard High School address and institutional identity as BCPS school
- Broward County Public Schools — U.S. News Education https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/florida/districts/broward-112471 Used for: District address (600 SE 3rd Ave, Fort Lauderdale), minority enrollment (90%), economically disadvantaged students (35%), district size
- Broward County Public Schools — NCES Common Core of Data (2024-2025) https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&ID2=1200180 Used for: District staff count of 27,217.61 for the 2024-2025 school year
- About Broward College — Official Broward College Website https://www.broward.edu/about/ Used for: Broward College established by Florida Legislature 1959, opened September 6 1960, first class of 701 students, former Naval Air Station site, Central Campus opened 1963, third-largest enrollment in Florida College System, 51,000+ students, 3,300+ faculty and staff
- Higher Education — Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance https://www.gflalliance.org/information-center/higher-education Used for: Nova Southeastern University described as ninth-largest independent university with 24,000 students and 314-acre Fort Lauderdale-Davie campus
- Miami-Dade, Broward county schools earn 'A' grade for 2024 — WSVN 7News https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/miami-dade-broward-county-schools-earn-a-grade-for-2024/ Used for: Broward County earned 'A' district grade for 2023–2024, first since 2011; 64% of all schools earned A or B; less than 4% earned D or F
- Broward County Public Schools earns A grade for first time since 2011 — NBC Miami https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/broward-county-public-schools-earns-a-grade-for-first-time-since-2011/3370424/ Used for: Superintendent Hepburn credited classroom focus for 'A' rating; Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance CEO statement on economic significance of school grade
- Broward considers 34 schools for closure, repurposing or consolidation — WLRN https://www.wlrn.org/education/2025-08-27/broward-schools-low-enrollment-closures-plan Used for: 34 schools identified for closure/repurposing/consolidation including Bennett Elementary in Fort Lauderdale; Phase 2 school board plan details
- Plantation Middle's future in doubt as Broward weighs school closures — CBS News Miami https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/plantation-middles-future-in-doubt-as-broward-weighs-school-closures-amid-enrollment-decline/ Used for: Enrollment of ~236,000 at start of 2025–26 school year, decrease of ~10,000 in one year, causes cited (private school vouchers, smaller families, families leaving Florida), Superintendent Hepburn quote
- These 7 Broward schools would close under superintendent's proposal — Local 10 News https://www.local10.com/news/local/2025/12/08/these-7-broward-schools-would-close-under-superintendents-proposal/ Used for: 'Redefining Our Schools' initiative name; Seagull Alternative High School (425 SW 28th St., Fort Lauderdale) and Northfork Elementary in Fort Lauderdale identified for closure in December 2025 proposal
- BCPS Bond Oversight Committee — Official Website http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/boc/ Used for: Bond Oversight Committee existence and mandate; voter-approved General Obligation Bond referendum accountability function
- Broward Education Foundation — Official Website https://browardedfoundation.org/ Used for: Broward Education Foundation identified as sole 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting Broward County Public Schools