KIPP Miami-Liberty City

KIPP Miami-Liberty City is a large, K-12 public charter school in Miami, FL, serving 1,359 students within the Miami-Dade district, and it presents a fascinating mix of standout strengths and significant challenges that set it apart from nearby schools.

The school’s most impressive achievement is in advanced math: a remarkable 88% of students were proficient in Algebra 1 in the 2025-2026 school year, far exceeding the district average of 69% and the state average of 63%. This performance rivals that of the high-performing Academy For Innovative Education (91%). However, this success is not consistent across all grades. While 7th grade math proficiency is strong (67% vs. the district’s 58%), 5th grade math proficiency is a weak point at just 28%, well below the district’s 67%. This creates a “tale of two schools” where elementary foundations lag, but middle and high school math programs excel.

A critical concern is the school’s chronic absenteeism rate, which hit 41.9% in the 2023-2024 school year—dramatically higher than the district’s 28.2% and the state’s 31.4%. This issue, which has persisted for years, likely contributes to the lower proficiency in early grades. Additionally, the school’s free/reduced lunch rate dropped from 98.66% in 2022-2023 to just 9.12% in 2024-2025, a puzzling shift that may reflect a change in reporting rather than a true demographic change. Despite these challenges, the school’s strong Algebra 1 outcomes suggest that once students reach middle school, they benefit from an effective acceleration program. For parents, the key takeaway is that KIPP Miami-Liberty City offers a powerful math pathway for older students, but families should be aware of the attendance issues and the need for extra support in the elementary years.