Summary:
There are seven elementary schools serving grades PK through 5 in zip code 33157, which covers the communities of Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Miami, and Perrine, all part of the Miami-Dade County Public School District.
The standout school in this area is Coral Reef Elementary School, which consistently earns a 5-star rating and ranks in the 91st percentile or higher statewide, with test scores well above district and state averages. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (14.8%) and the lowest percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch (28.3%). In contrast, Robert Russa Moton Elementary School faces the most significant challenges, with the highest chronic absenteeism rate (44.1%), the highest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (86.31%), and the lowest academic performance, earning a 2-star rating. The most improved school is Bel-Aire Elementary School, which jumped from the 40th percentile (2 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 62nd percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026, with dramatic gains in 5th-grade Science proficiency (from 43% to 76%).
A key finding is that higher spending per student does not guarantee higher test scores. The two highest-spending schools, Robert Russa Moton Elementary ($22,696 per student) and Pine Lake Elementary ($18,434 per student), are the lowest-performing, while the top-performing Coral Reef Elementary ($13,338) and Whispering Pines Elementary ($13,227) spend the least. Chronic absenteeism is a critical challenge, as the three schools with the highest absenteeism rates—Robert Russa Moton (44.1%), Pine Lake (30.7%), and Colonial Drive (26.8%)—are also the lowest-ranked. Overall, the average statewide rank percentile for these seven schools is approximately 61st, indicating the area performs slightly above the state median, but with a wide socioeconomic and academic divide between schools like Coral Reef and Moton.
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