International Studies Charter Middle School

International Studies Charter Middle School is a high-performing charter school in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, serving 320 students in grades 6 through 8 with a decade-long track record of academic excellence. The school consistently ranks in the top 10% of all middle schools in Florida, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for nine of the last ten years, and it achieves these results while serving a student body where over half qualify for free or reduced lunch.

What truly sets International Studies Charter apart is its ability to deliver elite academic outcomes despite serving a population with significant economic diversity. While nearby schools like Brownsville Middle and Jose De Diego Middle rank in the bottom 10-15% of the state with similar poverty rates, International Studies Charter ranks in the 90th percentile statewide. Its performance is more comparable to George Washington Carver Middle School, which ranks in the 98th percentile but serves a student body with far less economic disadvantage. The school also boasts a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 12.3%—less than half the Miami-Dade district average of 28.2%—and significantly lower than nearby schools like Georgia Jones Ayers Middle (55.4%) and Jose De Diego Middle (50.1%).

International Studies Charter has also made a dramatic investment in smaller class sizes, cutting its student-teacher ratio from 31.7:1 in 2023-2024 to 15.2:1 in 2024-2025. This personalized approach likely contributes to its strong academic performance and high student engagement. While the school excels in nearly every subject, 8th Grade Science remains a relative weakness at 75% proficiency—though still well above the district (49%) and state (52%) averages. Compared to Mater Brickell Academy Middle, another high-performing charter nearby, International Studies achieves a higher state ranking (90th vs. 78th percentile) with a more efficient spending model ($9,888 per student vs. $12,906) and smaller class sizes.