Middle Schools in Miami-Dade

The Miami-Dade school district in Florida contains 77 middle schools serving students in grades 6-8. These schools vary greatly in their performance, with some of the top-ranked middle schools in the state located in the district, as well as several low-performing institutions. The data reveals significant disparities in academic outcomes, with the highest-achieving schools posting exceptional test scores and the lowest-performing struggling to reach basic proficiency levels.

Among the standout schools in Miami-Dade are Doral Academy Charter Middle School, Mater Academy Bay Middle School, and Just Arts And Management Charter Middle School, which rank in the top 30-76 middle schools statewide and earn 5-star ratings. Other high-performing schools include Hialeah Gardens Middle School, Southwood Middle School, and George Washington Carver Middle School. In contrast, Homestead Middle School, North Miami Middle School, and Palm Springs Middle School are among the lowest-performing, ranking in the bottom 100 middle schools statewide.

The data also reveals significant disparities in student demographics and school funding across the district. Free and reduced-price lunch rates, a proxy for socioeconomic status, range from as low as 16.91% at George Washington Carver Middle School to as high as 98.73% at Miami Community Charter Middle School. Per-student spending also varies greatly, from around $7,000 to over $17,000 per student. These factors appear to play a role in the academic performance of the schools, though the data suggests that factors beyond just funding and demographics are at play in driving the wide disparities observed across Miami-Dade middle schools.