Palm Lakes Elementary School

Palm Lakes Elementary School in Hialeah, FL, is a public school serving 574 students from Pre-K through 5th grade, part of the Miami-Dade district, with a moderate level of economic diversity as over half of its students receive free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, Palm Lakes has a 2-star rating and ranks in the lower-middle tier of Florida elementary schools, with a current state percentile rank of 37. This is notably lower than nearby high-performing schools like Bob Graham Education Center (74th percentile) and Miami Lakes K-8 Center (73rd percentile). A key concern is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 24.2%—higher than these top neighbors, all of which have rates under 20%. The school shows a relative strength in math, with 3rd-grade proficiency close to the state average, but English Language Arts scores are a persistent weakness, with 4th-grade proficiency 12 points below the state average. On a positive note, 5th-grade science has shown consistent improvement, rising from 34% to 49% proficiency over recent years.

One interesting finding is the "spending vs. performance" paradox: Palm Lakes spends $14,557 per student, which is significantly more than high-performing Mater Academy ($9,983) and Bob Graham Education Center ($12,859), yet its academic results lag behind. The school also benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.7:1, smaller than many peers, but this advantage hasn't translated into higher test scores. Compared to the struggling Marcus A. Milam K-8 Center (22nd percentile), Palm Lakes outperforms it in nearly every subject, indicating a foundation to build upon. Reducing chronic absenteeism and targeting literacy interventions could be key levers for improvement.