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Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center

Q: Is Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center a good school?

Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center ranks 600 th of 838 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Alternative Grades PK, KG-12

600^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 838 Florida Alternative Schools

Better than 28% of Florida alternative schools

Summary

Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center is a small, alternative public school in Miami, FL, serving just 97 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade as part of the Miami-Dade school district.

This school stands out for its extraordinary level of investment in each student. With an annual per-pupil spending of nearly $80,000—over seven times more than nearby alternative schools like Academy For Innovative Education ($10,267) and Mater Academy Virtual Charter School ($8,526)—and a student-to-teacher ratio of just 3.7 to 1, the school provides an intensely individualized setting. This high-cost, high-support model is designed for students with significant academic, behavioral, or emotional challenges, and over 60% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. However, despite this heavy investment, academic outcomes remain low. For example, only 20% of students were proficient in Algebra 1 and 9th-grade English Language Arts in 2024-2025, far below district averages.

A major challenge is chronic absenteeism, which affects 75% of students—nearly three times the district average of 28.2% and much higher than the 26.2% rate at Brucie Ball Educational Center, which shares the same address. This absenteeism likely fuels a cycle of low engagement and low test scores. The graduation rate has also been volatile, dropping from 81.3% in 2021-2022 to a projected 58.3% for 2024-2025, well below the district's 93.1% average. In stark contrast, just 1.7 miles away, True North Classical Academy serves a more affluent population with a 100% graduation rate and 13.1% chronic absenteeism. Ruth Owens Kruse appears to function as a "school of last resort," focusing on stabilization and support for students who have struggled elsewhere, rather than aiming for high academic proficiency.

Students ?

3.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$79,946

Per pupil spending ?

61.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11001 SW 76th St
Miami, FL 33173

(305) 270-8699

District: Miami-Dade

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.6%

African American:

38.1%

White:

7.2%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 14th percentile in 2014 → 28th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2014

✓Small classes — about 4 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (46% vs 62% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Florida average (58% vs 92%)

!High chronic absenteeism (75% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg66%

Florida avg62%

600^th of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Bottom 28%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 9% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 15Alternative Schools in the Miami-Dade

20^th of 70Miami-Dade among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2023	7.2	1104 of 1177	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.9	1030 of 1099	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.3	980 of 1035	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.1	970 of 1031	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	25.3	775 of 999	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	4.3	901 of 956	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.9	874 of 897	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.3	883 of 891	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	7.8	756 of 839	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	4.6	732 of 780	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.4	719 of 740	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.7	701 of 736	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.5	639 of 675	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	2.8	585 of 602	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.8	590 of 593	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	28.8	600 of 838	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	7.3	715 of 844	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	627 of 716	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	4.4	649 of 714	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	4.6	634 of 693	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	9.8	590 of 687	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	3.0	615 of 648	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.5	601 of 606	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.2	596 of 622	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.2	557 of 620	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.8	465 of 587	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.5	441 of 577	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Algebra 157%-6 vs state

English Language Arts36%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				FAST English Language Arts (2026)								FAST Math (2026)						Statewide Science Science (2026)		EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC US History (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	11001 SW 76th St	Miami	33173	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 270-8699	97	26	3.7	61.9%	7 (7.2%)	37 (38.1%)	53 (54.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							36.0										57.0					$79,946	$16,236	$63,710
Brucie Ball Educational Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	11001 SW 76th St	Miami	33173	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	No	(305) 514-5100	435	0		54.3%	22 (5.1%)	83 (19.1%)	326 (74.9%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					40.0	0.0	32.0	38.0						0.0		0.0	17.0	25.0	23.0	35.0	55.0	$72,614	$16,062	$56,552
Instructional Center System Wide	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	11001 SW 76th St Rm 82	Miami	33173	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	No	(305) 270-8699	80	0		12.5%	4 (5.0%)	26 (32.5%)	50 (62.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
True North Classical Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	9393 SW 72nd St	Miami	33173	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	No	(305) 749-5725	1,450	82	17.6	14.2%	209 (14.4%)	40 (2.8%)	1,163 (80.2%)	23 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.0%)								(n/a)	91.0	90.0	87.0	98.0	97.0	97.0	94.0	90.0	96.0	86.0	85.0	92.0	94.0		82.0	87.0	97.0	86.0	98.0	97.0	98.0	$11,953	$291	$11,662
Blue Lakes Elementary School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	9250 SW 52nd Ter	Miami	33165	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	No	(305) 271-6046	348	32	10.8	37.9%	9 (2.6%)	5 (1.4%)	327 (94.0%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)								(n/a)	79.0	57.0	76.0						83.0	83.0	68.0				76.0							$25,144	$3,819	$21,324
Bridgeprep Academy Of Village Green	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-10	13300 SW 120th St	Miami	33186	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	No	(305) 253-8775	856	41	20.8	25.4%	29 (3.4%)	15 (1.8%)	805 (94.0%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)								(n/a)	75.0	72.0	75.0						78.0	72.0	72.0				60.0							$11,079	$44	$11,035
Bridgeprep Academy Of Miami Dade	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	3500 NW 89th Ct	Doral	33172	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	No	(786) 305-7834	1,316	75	17.5	0.7%	32 (2.4%)	4 (0.3%)	1,269 (96.4%)	11 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	66.0	74.0	62.0						79.0	92.0	74.0				58.0							$10,934	$43	$10,891
Academy For Innovative Education	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1080 La Baron Dr	Miami Springs	33166	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	Yes	(305) 725-3193	1,063	60	17.7	46.8%	44 (4.1%)	11 (1.0%)	997 (93.8%)	8 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)								(n/a)	62.0	72.0	77.0	88.0	80.0	86.0	81.0	78.0	79.0	80.0	73.0	79.0	76.0	55.0	63.0	49.0	91.0	90.0	87.0	88.0	83.0	$10,267	$415	$9,852
Mater Academy Virtual Charter School	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	230 SW 17th Rd	Miami	33129	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	Yes	No	(786) 673-0556	99	4	24.7	7.1%	12 (12.1%)	5 (5.1%)	82 (82.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)			27.0		58.0	53.0	58.0	45.0			55.0		60.0	27.0	36.0	7.0	40.0	50.0	58.0	80.0	75.0	$8,526	$1,281	$7,245
Secondary Student Success Center 801	Public, Alternative	6-11	6300 NW 27th Ave	Miami	33147	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 636-6167	35	0		54.3%	0 (0.0%)	26 (74.3%)	9 (25.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center

What district is Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center in?

Miami-Dade

How many students attend Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 97 students attended Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center.

Is Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center a good school?

Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center ranks 600^th of 838 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center?

Students at Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center are 55% Hispanic, 38% African American, 7% White.

Rate Ruth Owens Kruse Education Center!

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.