Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center, Bay Harbor Islands FL

Original Research by School Decision on Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center

Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 Center sits on the East Island of Bay Harbor Islands, a small, quiet town tucked between Bal Harbour, Surfside, and North Miami in Biscayne Bay. The school shares its island with the town's two-block commercial district on Kane Concourse, mid-century condominiums, and newer waterfront buildings, all within easy walking distance of each other. That compact geography means the school is genuinely woven into the neighborhood rather than set apart from it.

The academic picture is a clear strength. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency runs high across every tested grade, from the upper seventies in fifth grade through the low nineties in eighth grade, with most grades landing solidly in the eighties. ELA proficiency tracks similarly, with most grades in the upper seventies to mid-eighties range. Science results, tested in fifth and eighth grade under the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, also sit in the mid-to-upper seventies and low eighties. Across subjects and grades, these are meaningfully strong results. The comparison data available did not produce a clean positioning of the school against neighboring districts in Miami-Dade County because the cohort used was too small to generate a valid index, so that relative ranking is not available here.

Because the school serves only prekindergarten through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and that gap is entirely a function of the grade band served.

The student body is a substantial, majority-Hispanic enrollment, with a sizable white student population as well, and a modest share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well below what you'd see in many Miami-Dade schools. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided. The school's enrollment is on the larger side for a K-8 serving a small town, which speaks to the school drawing from beyond the immediate residential blocks around it.

Bay Harbor Islands itself is in the middle of a luxury condominium construction wave on the East Island waterfront, with several boutique waterfront projects delivering in 2025 and 2026. The town's overall population has stayed relatively flat, so this growth is concentrated in higher-value housing rather than a broad population surge. The local housing market reflects that dynamic: home values in this zip code are dramatically higher than both the Florida and national medians, and rents are also well above typical benchmarks. Estimated monthly housing costs are steep, and rent as a share of income runs high by any standard. For families considering a move to be in this school's attendance zone, the housing market is one of the most expensive in the state.

The town itself is walkable at its core, with most daily errands accessible on foot from the East Island's commercial strip. The Morris N. Broad Community Center hosts a Miami-Dade Public Library branch and youth programming. A town-operated shuttle connects residents to neighboring areas, and the Shepard Broad Causeway is the sole road connection to the mainland.

At the district level, Miami-Dade County Public Schools passed a property-tax referendum in 2022 that raised the school tax rate to fund teacher pay and school safety, with that rate set to expire in 2027 unless renewed, a cost that falls directly on homeowners in the area. The district is also navigating sustained enrollment decline, with proposals in spring 2026 to close or consolidate up to nine schools across Miami-Dade. Families new to the area should be aware that school assignments and grade configurations may shift, though Ruth K. Broad's position as a K-8 in a relatively stable, affluent community may insulate it somewhat from the closures affecting lower-enrollment campuses elsewhere in the district. A parent would do well to ask the school and district directly about any planned boundary or configuration changes for the coming years.

Multi-year trend data was not available in what was provided, so it is not possible to say whether these strong results represent improvement, stability, or a shift from prior years.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 385%

School 85% · District 69% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 482%

School 82% · District 68% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 62% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 685%

School 85% · District 64% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 789%

School 89% · District 54% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 893%

School 93% · District 60% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 60% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 482%

School 82% · District 59% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 578%

School 78% · District 60% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 678%

School 78% · District 63% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 785%

School 85% · District 62% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 60% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Science

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 56% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 46% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

This schoolMIAMI-DADE, 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 3Lower-income68%Higher-income84%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income79%Higher-income83%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income87%Higher-income76%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income77%Higher-income78%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income79%Higher-income87%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income67%Higher-income80%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income78%Higher-income88%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income75%Higher-income84%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income77%Higher-income76%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income73%Higher-income89%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income85%Higher-income91%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income91%Higher-income94%2 pp gap