The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Math. The lowest is 44% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on North Hialeah Elementary School
North Hialeah Elementary sits on East 5th Avenue in Hialeah, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The school is small enough that grade-level classes are measured in the dozens, and the student body is nearly entirely Hispanic, reflecting the surrounding community where Cuban-American culture, Spanish, and everyday neighborhood rhythms define the texture of daily life. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places North Hialeah in the higher end of economic need among elementary schools. Data on English learner and special education rates were not available in the materials we reviewed.
On the most recent FAST assessments, the academic picture is mixed and worth looking at clearly. In math, third graders scored well above the halfway mark statewide, and fourth graders came in just below that same level. Fifth-grade math proficiency dropped more noticeably, landing in the lower-middle range. Reading tells a different story: ELA proficiency at every tested grade was below the midpoint, with fourth grade particularly low and third and fifth grade trailing as well. The fifth-grade Florida Statewide Science Assessment also came in below half of students reaching proficiency. These results, taken together, suggest families should ask the school directly how it supports reading development across the upper elementary grades, and what progress students are typically making over time. Trend data across years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining.
Because the school serves only pre-K through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate, no AP or dual-enrollment programming, and no career pathway data. Those measures simply do not apply to this grade band.
The neighborhood itself is distinctly urban. Hialeah is one of Florida's larger cities, densely developed within a compact footprint, with industrial corridors, tight residential blocks, and commercial strips rather than the spread-out feel of South Florida's planned suburbs. Publicly reported sources describe the everyday street life as shaped by Cuban culture, from local cafeterias and bakeries to small businesses and flea markets. Walkability concentrates around a few commercial corridors; most of the city is still car-dependent. The Metrorail and Tri-Rail stations give Hialeah transit access that is unusual for a Florida city, connecting to Miami International Airport and downtown Miami.
Housing in the zip code is expensive relative to the state and national averages, with home values well above the Florida benchmark and rents that consume a sizable share of typical household income. The area's rent-to-income ratio runs notably high, reflecting pressure that is common across greater Miami. Home values in the immediate area have been essentially flat over the past year, a mild cooling from the recent surge.
At the district level, parents should be aware of two things that could affect a family's situation. First, Miami-Dade is experiencing a sustained enrollment decline that has prompted a proposal to close or consolidate up to nine schools across the district, with boundary and grade-structure changes possible. A family enrolling at North Hialeah today should ask the district whether this school or its feeder patterns are among those being reviewed. Second, voters approved a property-tax increase in 2022 to fund teacher pay and school safety staffing; that levy runs through 2027 and represents an ongoing cost for homeowners in the district.
The cell phone question is also in motion. Miami-Dade initially opted for a parental-education approach rather than a classroom ban, but publicly reported state legislation is pushing Florida toward a mandatory day-long restriction policy by the end of 2026, so the rules families encounter may shift within the coming school year.
Information on specific programs, staffing levels, attendance patterns, and discipline practices at North Hialeah was not available in the data we reviewed. A visit to the school and a conversation with staff would fill in what the numbers here cannot.
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