Best Public Schools in El Portal, FL

The city of El Portal, Florida, is home to two public schools—Horace Mann Middle School (grades 6-8) and Dr. Marvin Dunn Academy For Community Education (grades 9-12)—both part of the Miami-Dade school district, which holds a 4-star rating and ranks 20th out of 70 districts in Florida. These schools share the same physical address but offer vastly different educational experiences. Horace Mann Middle School, with 342 students, stands out for exceptional performance in advanced high school-level exams, achieving 100% proficiency in Geometry and 97% in Biology 1—far exceeding district and state averages. In contrast, Dr. Marvin Dunn Academy, a small high school with only 77 students, struggles significantly, with a graduation rate of just 44.4% and a chronic absenteeism rate of 65.5%, both far worse than district and state norms.

Key metrics highlight stark disparities between the two schools. Dr. Marvin Dunn Academy spends $26,513 per student—75% more than Horace Mann’s $15,163—yet its Algebra 1 proficiency is only 20% compared to Horace Mann’s 86%. The high school also has a lower student-teacher ratio (9.6:1) versus Horace Mann’s 15.5:1, but this investment has not translated into academic success. Both schools serve high-poverty populations, with free/reduced lunch rates of 74% at Dr. Marvin Dunn Academy and 63% at Horace Mann. Chronic absenteeism is a major issue at both schools, with Horace Mann’s rate of 42.7% also well above the state average of 31.4%.

The most striking finding is the disconnect between Horace Mann’s strong advanced coursework outcomes and Dr. Marvin Dunn Academy’s poor performance in the same subjects, suggesting a critical transition problem between middle and high school. The data clearly shows that higher spending does not guarantee better results, as Dr. Marvin Dunn Academy’s high costs coincide with a deep crisis in attendance and graduation. For parents, Horace Mann Middle School offers a strong accelerated curriculum, while Dr. Marvin Dunn Academy requires urgent attention to address its absenteeism and academic challenges before any other improvements can take hold.