Caloosa Middle School offers the Cambridge Lower Secondary (Cambridge Program for middle schoolers) Program for some of Lee County’s most elite sixth, seventh and eighth graders through these rigorous classes, students will be prepared with the opportunity to excel beyond the standard middle school expectations and for the increased demands of advanced programs in high school and beyond. Students in this university preparatory program went to great lengths for their acceptance letters. Students were required to hold a high GPA and score above their peers on state testing. They also had to write a lengthy essay and submit written recommendations from previous teachers, principals, coaches, and guidance counselors. Cambridge students are required to complete volunteer hours every year and held to a certain standard of excellent behavior.
Upon entering high school these students will begin working on the AICE. The Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma is an international curriculum and examination system that emphasizes the value of broad and balanced study. Cambridge advanced level courses are equivalent to those of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). AICE not only prepares students to get into a university with up to 45 hours of college credit, but it also provides them with the skills required to be successful once there. Students also have an opportunity to earn the AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) Diploma through the Cambridge advanced level courses. The AICE Diploma is an award for the completion of a specific number and type of classes that are recognized at many universities throughout the US. Students who reside in Florida and earn an AICE Diploma (and complete the required number of community service hours) are eligible for the Bright Futures Scholarship, regardless of minimum college GPA and SAT/ACT scores.
In July 2020 the Cambridge Middle School will be undertaking a trip to London and Cambridge to tour the museums, cathedrals, castles, and landmarks for those students who in the Cambridge Program. The 30 students attending this experience are obliged to pay their own way in the sum of $4,200 per child. The $4,200 covers flight, hotel, breakfast and lunch daily, tour guide, and admission to the attractions and experiences for 8 days. The Tice and The Shore Moose Lodge 1297 and Chapter 562 are aiding by allowing this trip to be their lodge fund raiser for 2019 and 2020.