Summary:
Key Biscayne, Florida, is served by two public schools within the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district: Mast Academy (grades 6-12) and Key Biscayne K-8 Center (grades PK-8). The community is notably affluent, with a very low percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and both schools benefit from low chronic absenteeism rates that are less than half the state average.
Mast Academy is the standout school, ranking in the top 2% of all Florida high schools for three consecutive years. It achieves near-perfect proficiency rates in core subjects like Algebra 1 (98%), Biology (96%), and US History (100%), and boasts a 98% graduation rate. In contrast, Key Biscayne K-8 Center is a solid, above-average school with a 4-star rating, but it shows a significant performance dip in middle school grades. For example, 8th-grade ELA proficiency is 93% at Mast Academy versus 63% at Key Biscayne K-8 Center, highlighting a clear academic advantage for students who attend the magnet high school.
The key takeaway for parents is that while both schools perform well above district and state averages, the academic environment at Mast Academy creates a powerful advantage for middle and high school students. Key Biscayne K-8 Center is a strong elementary school, but its middle school scores decline, and its state ranking has slowly dropped from the 86th to the 83rd percentile over three years. For families seeking the highest academic outcomes, gaining admission to Mast Academy is the clear path, as it draws a highly motivated student body and systematically ensures mastery of the state curriculum for nearly every student.
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