The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in Math. The lowest is 43% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bel-aire Elementary School
Bel-Aire Elementary sits on a quiet residential street in Cutler Bay, a suburban town at the southern edge of Miami-Dade County along the western shore of Biscayne Bay. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and draws its students from a community where single-family neighborhoods run along tree-lined corridors, with commercial life clustered on US-1 and Old Cutler Road. Cutler Bay is car-dependent and relatively low-rise, feeling distinctly removed from the density of central Miami despite being within the broader metropolitan area.
The school's student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black student population and small shares of other groups. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this among schools serving a high-need economic population. IEP and English learner data were not available in the data provided, so families with students in those categories may want to ask the school directly about its support structures.
State assessment results come from Florida's FAST and Statewide Science assessments for the 2024-25 school year, covering grades three through five. In math, third-grade proficiency is solid, with the majority of students scoring at or above grade level. Fourth grade comes in meaningfully lower, and fifth grade drops further, with fewer than half of students reaching proficiency. The ELA pattern follows a similar arc: third grade lands in the lower half of proficiency, fourth grade is roughly even, and fifth grade falls noticeably short of half. Science proficiency at fifth grade mirrors the fifth-grade math picture. Taken together, the performance picture is mixed and tilts toward concern at the upper elementary grades. A parent whose child will move through fourth and fifth grade here may want to ask the school what instructional supports or interventions are in place for students who fall behind as the content deepens.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible from the data to say whether these numbers are improving, holding, or declining over time. No comparison within Miami-Dade County districts could be computed from the available data because the comparison set was too small for a meaningful index.
Program information was not available in the data provided.
The housing market around Bel-Aire Elementary reflects the broader South Miami-Dade dynamic. Home values here sit well above Florida's statewide median and substantially above the national median, making this area an expensive entry point for buyers. Monthly ownership costs are considerable, and the rent-to-income burden is elevated, running above a third of income. Both home values and rents have softened slightly year over year as of mid-2026, which may offer marginally more room to negotiate than in recent peak years.
Families considering the area should be aware that Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the district Bel-Aire falls within, is managing meaningful enrollment decline. The district has publicly proposed closing or consolidating up to nine schools across its regions, with boundary reconfiguration that could create new K-8 and other grade-band schools. Families moving in now should be prepared for the possibility of reassignment or grade-structure changes over a relatively short horizon. A voter-approved property tax increase, now running at the one-mill rate, is adding to annual homeowner costs and is set to expire in 2027 unless renewed; it funds teacher compensation and campus safety staffing.
Cutler Bay itself is in an active development phase. A large-scale redevelopment of the former Southland Mall into a mixed-use transit-oriented project broke ground in early 2025, which over the coming years is expected to add substantial residential units and retail to the corridor near US-1. A planned civic complex on Old Cutler Road is also under development. Whether that growth adds to school enrollment or reshapes attendance boundaries is a question worth monitoring. The South Dade Regional Library, Cutler Ridge Park with its public pool, and direct access to Biscayne Bay via Black Point Marina round out the day-to-day community fabric.
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