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Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary

Q: Is Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary a good school?

Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary ranks 433 rd of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

433^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary is a mid-sized school in Miami, FL, serving 540 students from Pre-K through 5th grade as part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district, and it has earned a strong 4-star rating and an 81st percentile statewide ranking for the 2025-2026 school year.

This school truly shines in math and science. Math proficiency rates are consistently high—81% in 3rd grade, 78% in 4th, and 78% in 5th—far outpacing both district and state averages. Science scores have also shown impressive growth, climbing from 43% a few years ago to 72% in the most recent year. While English Language Arts (ELA) scores are above average, they are not as dominant as the STEM subjects, suggesting a focus area for continued improvement. What makes Finlay stand out even more is its efficiency: it achieves these top-tier results with lower per-student spending ($15,988) compared to nearby high-performing schools like Joe Hall Elementary ($21,058) and Greenglade Elementary ($17,529).

Finlay’s recent history is a true turnaround story. After a dip to the 67th percentile in 2022-2023, the school has rebounded strongly to its current 81st percentile ranking, showing positive momentum that many nearby schools lack. For example, Sweetwater Elementary, less than a mile away, sits at the 56th percentile and trails Finlay in every subject by 10-20 percentage points. However, one area for attention is chronic absenteeism. While Finlay’s rate of 19.8% is better than the district average (28.2%), it is notably higher than peers like Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary (8.8%) and Wesley Matthews Elementary (11.7%). Overall, Finlay offers a strong, efficient, and improving educational option for families, especially those prioritizing math and science.

540

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,988

Per pupil spending ?

52.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

851 SW 117th Ave
Miami, FL 33184

(305) 552-7122

District: Miami-Dade

Students who attend Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary usually attend:

High:

Miami Coral Park Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.1%

Asian:

3.1%

White:

1.7%

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Compare Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 77th percentile in 2016 → 81st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (74% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Florida elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Miami-Dade

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school74%

District avg66%

Florida avg62%

433^rd of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to top 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

68^th of 279Elementary 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	77.8	433 of 2240	80.7%	★★★★☆
2025	77.3	464 of 2258	79.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.1	697 of 2256	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.9	742 of 2240	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.8	483 of 2219	78.2%	★★★★☆
2021	67.7	695 of 2247	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	88.0	212 of 2182	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	87.6	217 of 2118	89.8%	★★★★☆
2017	81.3	350 of 2112	83.4%	★★★★☆
2016	75.5	480 of 2087	77.0%	★★★★☆
2014	75.6	448 of 2064	78.3%	★★★★☆
2013	83.9	265 of 2029	86.9%	★★★★☆
2012	88.1	170 of 1984	91.4%	★★★★★
2011	86.9	180 of 1985	90.9%	★★★★★
2010	72.0	521 of 1919	72.9%	★★★★☆
2009	53.8	904 of 1847	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	55.3	842 of 1789	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	42.9	1077 of 1786	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	40.3	1042 of 1688	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math79%+15 vs state

Science72%+12 vs state

English Language Arts70%+9 vs state

2.7

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, June 10, 2022

This school is an overrated school. Despite having an A rating the school curriculum and competency of teachers are very very poor. Close Quote

Schools Near Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)			FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	851 SW 117th Ave	Miami	33184	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 552-7122	540	36	15.0	52.2%	9 (1.7%)	4 (0.7%)	508 (94.1%)	17 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	77.8	433^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	80.7%		77.3	464^th of 2258 public elementary schools	79.5%	31	67.0	75.0	66.0	81.0	78.0	78.0	72.0	$15,988	$1,670	$14,318
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11901 SW 2nd St	Miami	33184	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 226-4356	554	38	14.5	45.1%	10 (1.8%)	3 (0.5%)	536 (96.8%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	80.2	385^th of 2240 public elementary schools	82.8%		84.8	294^th of 2258 public elementary schools	87.0%	91	71.0	77.0	74.0	79.0	74.0	79.0	72.0	$16,030	$1,307	$14,722
Sweetwater Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10655 SW 4th St	Miami	33174	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 559-1101	463	31	14.9	55.5%	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	455 (98.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55.7	994^th of 2240 public elementary schools	55.6%		40.2	1352^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	40.1%	358	59.0	57.0	54.0	73.0	80.0	63.0	57.0	$14,828	$1,386	$13,443
Wesley Matthews Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12345 SW 18th Ter	Miami	33175	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 222-8150	490	36	13.6	55.1%	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	481 (98.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	77.7	439^th of 2240 public elementary schools	80.4%		68.2	683^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	69.8%	244	80.0	69.0	67.0	91.0	86.0	72.0	64.0	$14,842	$1,371	$13,470
Pinecrest Academy (North Campus)	Public, Charter	K-8	10207 W Flagler St	Miami	33174	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	Yes	No	No	No	(305) 553-9762	468	24	19.5	65.4%	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	450 (96.2%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)								(n/a)	92.0			95.0				$10,795	$135	$10,660
Village Green Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	12265 SW 34th St	Miami	33175	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 226-0441	264	15	17.6	49.6%	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	260 (98.5%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81.4	351^st of 2240 public elementary schools	84.3%		69.1	662^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	70.7%	311	83.0	55.0	74.0	87.0	79.0	84.0	81.0	$17,221	$1,637	$15,585
Greenglade Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3060 SW 127th Ave	Miami	33175	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 223-5330	293	21	13.9	52.9%	7 (2.4%)	4 (1.4%)	277 (94.5%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66	729^th of 2240 public elementary schools	67.5%		65.7	742^nd of 2258 public elementary schools	67.1%	13	70.0	78.0	58.0	85.0	76.0	65.0	50.0	$17,529	$1,619	$15,910
Zora Neale Hurston Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	13137 SW 26th St	Miami	33175	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 222-8152	459	32	14.3	45.1%	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	451 (98.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	78.2	422^nd of 2240 public elementary schools	81.2%		75.2	511^th of 2258 public elementary schools	77.4%	89	70.0	68.0	73.0	81.0	77.0	81.0	69.0	$17,205	$1,326	$15,879
E.W.F. Stirrup Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	330 NW 97th Ave	Miami	33172	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 226-7001	611	39	15.6	50.7%	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	590 (96.6%)	15 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63.5	796^th of 2240 public elementary schools	64.5%		68.1	685^th of 2258 public elementary schools	69.7%	111	62.0	56.0	70.0	74.0	70.0	76.0	58.0	$14,308	$1,345	$12,962
Coral Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1225 SW 97th Ave	Miami	33174	Miami-Dade County	Miami-Dade	No	No	No	Yes	(305) 221-5632	782	51	15.3	46.3%	9 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	757 (96.8%)	15 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	74.2	522^nd of 2240 public elementary schools	76.7%		81.3	384^th of 2258 public elementary schools	83.0%	138	73.0	74.0	73.0	80.0	71.0	65.0	67.0	$14,368	$1,603	$12,765

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary

What schools do graduates of Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Miami Coral Park Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary?

Students at Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary are 94% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% White.

Is Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary a good school?

Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary ranks 433^rd of 2240 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary in?

Miami-Dade

How many students attend Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 540 students attended Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary.

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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.