Summary:
Zip code 33157 in Miami, Florida, is home to two high schools serving grades 9-12: Coral Reef Senior High School and Miami Southridge Senior High, both part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district.
The most striking finding is the extreme performance gap between these two schools. Coral Reef Senior High is a top-tier institution, ranking in the 94th percentile statewide with a 5-star rating, a 100% graduation rate, and an average test score proficiency of about 86%. In contrast, Miami Southridge Senior High ranks in the 35th percentile with a 1-2 star rating, a 97.6% graduation rate, and an average test score proficiency of only about 53%. The critical differentiator is chronic absenteeism: Coral Reef has an excellent rate of 11.9%, while Miami Southridge has a catastrophic rate of 43.6%—nearly four times higher. This level of absenteeism makes it extremely difficult for students to keep up, directly explaining the low test scores. Socioeconomic factors also play a role, as the free/reduced lunch rate at Miami Southridge (57.42%) is more than double that at Coral Reef (26.89%).
Interestingly, Miami Southridge actually spends $1,239 more per student ($10,651 vs. $9,412) than the higher-performing Coral Reef, showing that funding alone does not guarantee success. The high graduation rates at both schools can be misleading; Miami Southridge's 97.6% rate combined with its low test scores and high absenteeism suggests a "diploma gap" where students may graduate without achieving academic proficiency. For parents, Coral Reef Senior High is clearly the standout choice in this zip code, offering exceptional academics and student engagement, while Miami Southridge faces significant challenges that require careful consideration.
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