Best Middle Schools in Miami, FL

This analysis examines 39 middle schools serving grades 6-8 in the city of Miami, Florida, a diverse urban area where the majority of schools belong to the Miami-Dade district, with two schools under the Broward district.

The top-performing schools in Miami are clear standouts. Archimedean Middle Conservatory leads the city at the 99th percentile statewide, with near-perfect test scores and a low chronic absenteeism rate of 9.0%. Herbert A. Ammons Middle School is another 5-star school, boasting the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the city at just 6.9% and exceptional proficiency rates exceeding 90% in core subjects. Somerset Academy Bay Middle School also excels, particularly in mathematics. In stark contrast, schools like Phoenix Academy Of Excellence North and Phoenix Academy Of Excellence face extreme challenges, with 100% free/reduced lunch rates and chronic absenteeism rates above 73%, resulting in critically low test scores and 0-star ratings.

Key metrics reveal systemic trends. The average state ranking percentile for all schools is 46.5, below the state median, indicating that Miami's middle schools generally underperform compared to the rest of Florida. Chronic absenteeism averages 28.5%, but the range is extreme, from 6.9% to 86.5%, and there is a powerful negative correlation between absenteeism and performance. Socioeconomic status is a strong predictor, but not destiny: Mater Brickell Academy (63.2% free/reduced lunch) ranks in the top 25% of the state. Per-student spending also shows no clear link to results, as the highest-spending school, Richmond Heights Middle School ($16,629), ranks in the 47th percentile, while the lowest-spending school, Mater International Preparatory ($7,500), ranks in the 71st percentile. A notable "7th grade math slump" is observed across many schools, including Shenandoah Middle School and Palmetto Middle School, where math proficiency drops significantly between 6th and 7th grade.