1. Home
  2. Florida
  3. Miami
  4. Miami-Dade
  5. Howard Drive Elementary School
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Howard Drive Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5
545th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools
Better than 76% of Florida elementary schools
Summary

Howard Drive Elementary School is a public school in Miami, FL, serving 341 students from Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district, and it stands out as a solid, above-average performer in a neighborhood filled with some of the state's highest-achieving schools.

Howard Drive is a reliable choice for families, consistently earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking in the 76th percentile statewide. The school shows exceptional strength in early literacy, with 3rd and 4th graders achieving 88% and 85% proficiency in English Language Arts—well above district and state averages. However, a notable "5th grade slump" sees proficiency drop to 58% in ELA and 75% in math, while 5th grade science scores (56%) fall below the district average. This pattern is not seen at nearby top-tier schools like Palmetto Elementary School (100th percentile) or True North Classical Academy at Pinecrest (99th percentile), which maintain high proficiency across all elementary grades. The school also spends more per student ($19,086) than these neighbors, suggesting the challenge is not funding but rather instructional strategies or curriculum in the upper grades.

On the positive side, Howard Drive has a strong track record of keeping students in class, with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 13.5% in 2023-2024—far better than the district (28.2%) and state (31.4%) averages. The school serves a more diverse community than its immediate neighbors, with 33% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 12% at Palmetto and 10% at Pinecrest. This suggests Howard Drive is successfully providing a strong educational foundation for a broader range of students. For parents, the school offers a solid early education with room for growth in the upper grades, and its lower absenteeism and higher funding provide a strong base for improvement.

341
Students ?
16.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$19,086
Per pupil spending ?
33.1%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 7750 SW 136th St
       Miami, FL  33156

(305) 235-1412

District: Miami-Dade


Students who attend Howard Drive Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Palmetto Middle School
High:    Miami Palmetto Senior High School
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
65.1%
White:
18.2%
African American:
13.8%
more
 See top rated Florida elementary schools

 Compare Howard Drive Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 76th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Florida average (74% vs 62% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 24% of Florida elementary schools
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school74%
District avg66%
Florida avg62%
545th of 2,240
Florida public elementary schools ?
Top 24%▲ up 3 pts since 2016
From top 27% (2016) to top 24% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
80th of 279Elementary Schools in the Miami-Dade
20th of 70Miami-Dade among Florida districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankFlorida percentileRating
202673.3545 of 224075.7%★★★★☆
202573.1552 of 225875.6%★★★★☆
202460.0857 of 225662.0%★★★☆☆
202371.5598 of 224073.3%★★★★☆
202279.3429 of 221980.7%★★★★☆
202177.2486 of 224778.4%★★★★☆
201976.5477 of 218278.1%★★★★☆
201867.4672 of 211868.3%★★★☆☆
201777.7432 of 211279.5%★★★★☆
201671.5572 of 208772.6%★★★★☆
201471.0553 of 206473.2%★★★★☆
201370.6559 of 202972.4%★★★★☆
201268.8604 of 198469.6%★★★☆☆
201166.9679 of 198565.8%★★★☆☆
201067.2649 of 191966.2%★★★☆☆
200962.1729 of 184760.5%★★★☆☆
200862.2699 of 178960.9%★★★☆☆
200768.8566 of 178668.3%★★★☆☆
200666.5571 of 168866.2%★★★☆☆
By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?
Math77%+13 vs state
English Language Arts76%+16 vs state
Science56%-4 vs state

1.0
1 rating · 1 written review
5★0
4★0
3★0
2★0
1★1
Rate Howard Drive Elementary School
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
What people are saying
by a parent
Saturday, May 26, 2012

Open Quote I sent my daughter to Howard Drive for one year. We did not like it at all. The class was overcrowded (started out with 38 kids and then after the Sept 15th deadline it was reduced to 22 which was still over limit). The teacher wanted zero interaction with the parents - this was established on the very first day and continued throughout the year. She was an older teacher that was just burnt out by the system. I guess that only 20 - 30% of the kids attending Howard Drive actually live within that district. All other are bused in from "F" districts or have parent's that are using a friend's or relatives' address. The school has a group of kids that are physically violent but are attending a special program at this school - something you should find out before you enroll. They keep them separate but they are with the regular kids in the cafeteria, bathrooms, PE, etc. Most parents have their kids tested for gifted as early as possible. Once they are classified as gifted, they can be segregated from those that do not pass the test or parents can not afford to pay for the test (most students taking the test are not ones the school deems as gifted but the parents want them segregated). The school is happy with this because they can have larger number of students in the classroom b/c gifted kids do not need as much one on one help so there can over 30 kids in the class. The whole "gifted" thing is true for all Miami-Dade schools. The one good thing I can say about school was the active parents on PTA. My husband and I both born and raised in Miami - we bought in Pinecrest for the schools and we left because of the public schools. Close Quote




Schools Near Howard Drive Elementary School








Frequently Asked Questions about Howard Drive Elementary School

Students who attend Howard Drive Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Palmetto Middle School
High : Miami Palmetto Senior High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 341 students attended Howard Drive Elementary School.

Howard Drive Elementary School ranks 545th of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Howard Drive Elementary School are 65% Hispanic, 18% White, 14% African American, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.


Rate Howard Drive Elementary School!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

FLFlorida Elementary School Rankings

FLFlorida District Rankings

Schools in Miami, FL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Howard Drive Elementary School!




SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




Diagnostics