The Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy, Miami FL

Original Research by School Decision on The Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy

The Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy was a charter middle school located on Sunset Drive in Miami, operating under the Broward district. The school is now closed, so families researching active enrollment options should be aware this profile reflects a school that no longer operates.

The school served grades six through eight, and Florida state assessment data from its final reported school year is available. On the FAST exam, sixth-grade reading proficiency came in above half of students tested, which was the strongest result across the grades and subjects measured. Math and reading proficiency in seventh and eighth grade, and math in sixth grade, were each well below the majority of students tested. Science results for eighth graders were particularly low, with only a small fraction reaching proficiency on the Statewide Science Assessment. The tested groups at each grade were small, which means these figures should be read with some caution as individual variation can move the numbers considerably. No multi-year trend data is available, so there is no way from this data alone to assess whether performance was improving, declining, or stable before the school closed.

Enrollment and demographic data, including free and reduced-price lunch rates, racial and ethnic composition, and special-population counts, were not reported and are absent from the record. Title I status was also not reported.

The school occupied a Miami address in a zip code where the housing market is well above both the Florida statewide median and the national median, and rents are high relative to income. This part of Miami sits near South Miami and Coral Gables, connected to the broader city by Metrorail and the wider road network. The city itself is a large, dense urban place with walkable neighborhoods, a downtown core anchored by civic institutions and green space, and major employment in government, health care, and education. Miami-Dade County, which geographically surrounds this part of the metro, publicly reported a notable population decline in the most recent period, partly attributed to an immigration slowdown, and county school enrollment fell alongside that shift.

No program information was available for this school, and no civil rights or discipline data appeared in the record. The Broward district brief search did not turn up confirmed parent-relevant changes to report.

Because the school is closed, questions about fit, enrollment, and current programming cannot be answered from this data. A parent looking for a comparable charter middle school option in the area would need to look to currently operating schools.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

80-89%Cohort of 43 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

867 schools plotted. 183 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 63% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 59% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 47% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 65% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 60% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 59% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median

Science

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 45% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median

This schoolBROWARD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income39%Higher-income27%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income50%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income39%Higher-income27%12 pp gap