Summary:
Zip code 33137 in Miami, Florida, is home to two schools within the Miami-Dade school district: Design & Architecture Senior High (DASH) and Toussaint L'Ouverture Elementary, serving high school and elementary grades respectively, with no middle or alternative schools in the area.
These two schools represent a stark contrast in performance and demographics. Design & Architecture Senior High is a standout magnet school, consistently ranking in the top 15% of Florida high schools with a 5-star rating and a perfect 100% graduation rate. It excels in core subjects like Biology (93% proficiency) and English Language Arts (86% proficiency), far exceeding state averages. In contrast, Toussaint L'Ouverture Elementary serves a higher-poverty population and has a lower overall state rank (42nd percentile), though it shows a remarkable "5th Grade Effect" with 95% proficiency in Science and 90% in both ELA and Math. However, the elementary school struggles with a 34.8% chronic absenteeism rate—double that of DASH—and lower proficiency in early grades like 3rd Grade ELA (39%).
Key takeaways for parents include that DASH offers elite academic opportunities with low economic disadvantage (26% free/reduced lunch), while Toussaint L'Ouverture demonstrates that targeted interventions can produce dramatic improvements, as seen in its 5th-grade scores. Notably, Toussaint L'Ouverture spends $1,626 more per student than DASH, yet its overall outcomes are lower, suggesting challenges beyond funding. DASH also has a surprising weakness in Algebra 1 (44% proficiency), well below district and state averages, which may warrant attention for students considering that path.
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