Acceleration Academies-Central Miami

Acceleration Academies-Central Miami is a public high school in Miami Gardens, FL, serving 375 students in grades 8-12 as a dropout recovery program within the Miami-Dade district. The school’s most defining feature is its extremely low graduation rate, which has ranged from 9% to 17% over the last five years—currently at 15.8%—a stark contrast to nearby traditional schools like American Senior High School (99%) and Miami Lakes Educational Center (100%). This suggests the school serves a highly at-risk population of students who have struggled in conventional settings, often due to life circumstances like work or parenting, which is reflected in its volatile chronic absenteeism rate—spiking to 92.5% during the pandemic and currently at 32.4%.

Despite the low graduation numbers, there is a surprising positive trend in academic proficiency. Over the past few years, Algebra 1 proficiency rose from 8% to 25%, Biology 1 from 0% to 27%, and 10th-grade ELA from 17% to 32%. This indicates that while many students don’t complete graduation requirements, those who remain are increasingly mastering core subjects. The school spends $8,457 per student, significantly less than nearby schools like Miami Carol City Senior High ($14,480), and reports a very low free/reduced lunch rate of 3.73%, which likely reflects its non-traditional student body rather than affluence.

Compared to similar alternative schools in the area, Acceleration Academies performs worse than North Park High School and North Gardens High School, which have graduation rates around 53-55% but also face high chronic absenteeism (79-83%). The school’s 1-star rating and bottom 15% state ranking highlight its challenges, but the improving test scores offer a glimmer of hope for families seeking a second chance for students who have fallen behind in traditional settings.