The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Science. The lowest is 25% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Laura C. Saunders Elementary School
Laura C. Saunders Elementary sits on SW 8th Street in Homestead, at the southern end of Miami-Dade County, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Miami-Dade district. The school draws from a community that is growing steadily, with new master-planned residential neighborhoods spreading across a city that blends historic downtown character with car-oriented suburban sprawl and a strong agricultural heritage.
The student body is a mix that is roughly split between Black and Hispanic students, with very little racial diversity beyond those two groups. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school among higher-poverty campuses by that measure. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided.
On the Florida FAST assessment, reading proficiency results are a clear soft spot. Across third, fourth, and fifth grade, ELA proficiency rates are low, with third and fourth grade results particularly so, meaning well under a third of students in those grades are reaching the proficiency bar. Fifth grade reads somewhat better but remains modest. Math tells a more varied story: third grade results are low as well, but fourth and fifth grade math proficiency climbs into the majority range, a pattern worth noting even though trend data across prior years was not available to show whether these numbers are improving or holding steady. Fifth-grade science proficiency comes in just above half of students tested. A parent wondering how students here compare across Miami-Dade's districts should know that a meaningful comparison against county peers was not possible from this data, as the available comparison set was too small to position the school reliably. What can be said is that the ELA results, in particular, are areas a family would want to discuss directly with the school, asking what interventions are in place for students reading below grade level.
Because Saunders stops at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate and no high school program data to consider; those measures simply do not apply here.
The housing market around the school reflects Homestead's position as a growth corridor. Home values in the zip code are well above both the Florida statewide midpoint and the national benchmark, though they have dipped slightly year over year. Rents run high relative to income by standard affordability measures, and an estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home here requires a meaningful share of household income. For families weighing whether to buy near this school, the cost picture is real. Homestead continues to attract new construction from national builders, with townhomes and single-family homes in master-planned communities filling in land between the historic downtown and the agricultural fringe.
Two district-level matters are worth knowing. Miami-Dade voters approved a property tax measure to fund teacher pay and school safety, which adds a modest cost for homeowners and is set to expire in a few years unless renewed. More immediately relevant for families choosing a school now: the district is managing a meaningful enrollment decline and in spring 2026 proposed closing or consolidating up to nine schools, including some in the southern region where Saunders sits. That means attendance boundaries could shift and school assignments could change. A family moving to this part of Homestead should check with Miami-Dade directly about whether Saunders or any nearby school is on a closure or consolidation list before assuming a current assignment will hold.
On cell phones, the district in 2024 took an education-and-parental-involvement approach rather than a phone ban, though Florida legislation is pushing toward a statewide prohibition by the end of 2026, so classroom rules on this may change during a child's time at the school.
Program offerings for Saunders were not available in the data provided, so it is not possible to say whether there are enrichment, dual-language, or intervention programs beyond what standard district curriculum provides.
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