The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Florida City Elementary School
Florida City Elementary School sits at the far southern edge of Miami-Dade County, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in a community that bills itself as the gateway to the Florida Keys and the Everglades. The school is part of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the large district that governs public education across the county.
The student body is a substantial size for an elementary school of its grade band. The demographic picture is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with those two groups together making up nearly all enrollment. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a heavily economically disadvantaged population. Data on English learner rates and special education participation were not available in the materials we reviewed; parents with children who may need those services would do well to ask the school directly.
State testing results for the most recent school year, reported through Florida's FAST assessments and the statewide science test, show that proficiency rates across all tested grades and subjects sit well below the statewide midpoint. In third grade, fewer than a quarter of students reached proficiency in reading, and about a fifth did so in math. Fourth and fifth grade results were somewhat higher but still low in absolute terms, and fifth grade science results were the weakest of all subjects tested. Trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether scores have been improving, holding, or declining. A parent will want to ask the school directly about what academic supports are in place and what the school's trajectory looks like, because the current snapshot alone does not tell that story.
No information on specific program offerings, staffing ratios, attendance patterns, or discipline practices was available in the data we reviewed. Those gaps are worth probing before making a decision.
The surrounding community of Florida City is a small, auto-oriented city shaped largely by its position at the junction of US 1 and the southern end of Florida's Turnpike. Retail, hospitality, and agriculture form the economic base, with a highway corridor of motels, restaurants, and an outlet center serving travelers heading to the Keys or the Everglades. The city is publicly reported to be in active growth, with new residential construction from a major homebuilder along Davis Parkway and commercial and mixed-use projects reshaping key intersections. For transit, Florida City anchors the southern end of Miami-Dade's bus rapid transit corridor connecting northward toward the Metrorail system at Dadeland South.
Housing in the area has pulled back modestly over the past year in both purchase prices and rents, though values remain at a level that puts homeownership out of reach for many on median incomes when current mortgage rates are factored in. Rents consume a meaningful share of income for typical households, reflecting broader South Florida affordability pressures.
At the district level, Miami-Dade voters publicly approved a property tax referendum a few years ago to fund teacher pay and school safety, a levy that is set to expire in 2027 unless renewed. More immediately relevant for anyone choosing a school now: the district is in the middle of significant enrollment decline and has publicly proposed closing or consolidating up to nine schools, including campuses in the southern region. Families moving into Florida City should expect that attendance boundaries and school assignments could shift before or during their child's elementary years. The district has also been navigating a state push toward a stricter cell phone policy, with statewide rules publicly reported to be required by the end of 2026.
Proficiency data here presents a real concern, and parents considering Florida City Elementary should go in with clear questions about instructional approach, reading intervention, and math supports. The broader context of an economically challenged community, a district in flux over enrollment, and a school for which trend data is unavailable means the picture is incomplete without a direct conversation with school staff.
See more original research from School Decision →