Summary:
This analysis examines five elementary schools in the 33018 zip code of Hialeah and Hialeah Gardens, Florida, all part of the Miami-Dade County Public School District, serving grades Pre-K through 5th (with three schools extending to 8th grade) and showing a wide range of academic performance and spending.
Mater Gardens Academy is the standout school, consistently ranking in the top 12-13% of Florida elementary schools and achieving the highest test scores in the area, with 81% of 3rd graders proficient in English Language Arts and 87% in Math. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 12.3%, far below district and state averages. In contrast, West Lakes Preparatory Academy presents a paradox: it has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (34.01%) but the weakest elementary FAST scores, yet its middle school students achieve exceptional high school-level End-of-Course exam scores, including 100% proficiency in Biology 1. Ernest R. Graham K-8 Academy showed the most significant year-over-year improvement, jumping from the 47th to the 62nd percentile in state rankings, with notable gains in 5th Grade Science and 3rd Grade ELA.
A key finding is that per-student spending does not correlate with performance: the highest-spending school, Hialeah Gardens Elementary School ($17,784/student), ranks in the middle of the pack, while the lowest-spending school, Mater Gardens Academy ($10,276/student), is the top performer. All five schools have chronic absenteeism rates below district and state averages, a positive sign for student engagement. While 4th-grade math is a universal strength across the area, 5th-grade math shows a clear divergence, with Mater Gardens Academy (78%) and Ernest R. Graham K-8 Academy (74%) excelling, while West Hialeah Gardens Elementary School (68%) and Hialeah Gardens Elementary (64%) lag behind the district average.
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