Summary:
In zip code 33165, two public middle schools—Rockway Middle School and Riviera Middle School—serve grades 6-8 within the Miami-Dade County Public School District, a 4-star district ranked in the 71st percentile in Florida.
Rockway Middle School stands out as the higher-performing school, consistently ranking above Riviera and showing an improving trajectory from the 47th to the 59th percentile between 2023 and 2024. It achieves exceptional results in advanced coursework, with 100% proficiency in Biology 1, 97% in Geometry, and 96% in Algebra 1—far exceeding district and state averages. Despite serving nearly double the enrollment (888 students) and spending significantly less per student ($11,542 vs. $16,225), Rockway outperforms Riviera in most core subjects, including 8th grade ELA (66% vs. 50%). In contrast, Riviera Middle School has a declining state ranking (from the 52nd to the 39th percentile) but excels in Civics, where its 79% proficiency rate matches the district average and far surpasses Rockway's 64%. Riviera also offers a more favorable student-teacher ratio of 17.1:1 compared to Rockway's 20.6:1.
A key takeaway is the spending paradox: Riviera spends 40.5% more per student yet underperforms in most academic areas, suggesting Rockway operates more efficiently. Both schools share a challenge with a gap between advanced coursework and grade-level proficiency—Rockway's 96-100% in advanced EOCs contrasts with just 42% in 8th grade math. Chronic absenteeism is a relative strength for the community, with both schools (22.9% and 23.3%) below the district (28.2%) and state (31.4%) averages. Overall, families in this area face a clear choice between Rockway's strong STEM performance and efficiency, and Riviera's focus on civics and smaller class sizes.
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