Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 33157

This analysis examines two middle schools in zip code 33157, serving grades 6-8 in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay areas of Florida: Southwood Middle School and Cutler Bay Middle, both part of the Miami-Dade County Public School District.

Southwood Middle School is the clear standout, earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the top 15-17% of Florida middle schools. It achieves significantly higher academic proficiency than both the district and state averages, with 80.7% of students proficient in English Language Arts and 63.7% in math. This performance comes despite a higher student-teacher ratio of 22.6:1 and lower per-student spending of $10,406. In contrast, Cutler Bay Middle has a 2-star rating and ranks in the bottom third of the state, with proficiency rates of 51% in ELA and 54.3% in math. Cutler Bay spends 55% more per student ($16,185) and has a much lower student-teacher ratio (16.1:1), yet achieves lower scores, suggesting factors like school culture and teaching quality are key drivers of performance.

A notable finding is the sharp drop in 7th-grade math proficiency at Southwood Middle, where only 39% of students were proficient in 2025-2026, compared to 72% in 6th grade and 80% in 8th grade. Chronic absenteeism is a major differentiator: Southwood's rate of 20.3% is well below the state average of 31.4%, while Cutler Bay Middle's rate of 41.6% is nearly double the state average and likely a primary factor in its lower academic performance. Despite the overall gap, both schools excel in advanced coursework, with 100% of students proficient in Biology 1 and Geometry at Southwood, and 100% in Biology 1 and 85% in Geometry at Cutler Bay.