Kinloch Park Elementary School

Kinloch Park Elementary School is a public school in Miami, FL, serving 548 students from Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the Miami-Dade district, where a majority of families qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school is at a critical point, showing a clear split between its younger and older students. On a positive note, 3rd graders are performing at or above state averages in both English Language Arts (61%) and Math (63%). However, there is a sharp drop-off in 4th and 5th grade, where proficiency falls to just 40% in both subjects. This is the lowest 4th-grade performance among all nearby elementary schools, including the higher-performing Somerset Gables Academy (92nd percentile) and Coral Gables Preparatory Academy (82nd percentile). The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism at 28.5%, which is much higher than at these top-performing neighbors. Interestingly, Kinloch Park spends more per student ($13,360) than those schools, suggesting the challenge is not about funding but about how instruction and support are delivered in the upper grades.

Despite a multi-year decline that has left it with a 1-star rating (21st percentile statewide), there is a glimmer of hope. The most recent data shows a slight improvement from the previous year, and the strong 3rd-grade scores suggest that recent efforts may be working with the youngest students. The school's biggest need is a targeted strategy to improve learning and engagement in grades 4 and 5, so it can build on its early success and catch up to nearby schools like Henry M. Flagler Elementary School, which serves a similar community but achieves better results across all grades.