Summary:
In zip code 33175, there is one middle school, W. R. Thomas Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 with 507 students in the Miami-Dade school district, an area where over 55% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
W. R. Thomas Middle School presents a striking paradox in its performance. On one hand, it is a powerhouse for advanced coursework, achieving 100% proficiency in Geometry and Biology 1 End-of-Course (EOC) exams, and 97% in Algebra 1—scores that dramatically exceed district and state averages by 30 to 40 percentage points. On the other hand, the school struggles significantly with standard grade-level assessments, with only 34% proficiency in 8th Grade Science and 35% in 8th Grade Math, both well below the district and state averages. This creates a "two-tier" system where advanced students thrive while the general student body lags behind, contributing to a low and declining state ranking (24th percentile, 1-star rating) over the last three years.
Despite these challenges, there are positive trends. The school showed notable year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with gains of 11 points in Civics EOC, 12 points in 6th Grade ELA, and 9 points in 8th Grade Science. Chronic absenteeism at 27.9% is slightly better than the state average, and per-student spending is $13,259. For parents, this school offers exceptional opportunities for students ready for advanced math and science, but families should be aware that the majority of students are not meeting grade-level benchmarks in core subjects, suggesting a need for targeted support for the general student population.
Thank you for your feedback!