The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Math. The lowest is 39% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on South Miami Heights Elementary
South Miami Heights Elementary is a public PreK-through-5th-grade school in the southwestern corner of Miami-Dade, sitting in a residential stretch of the 33177 zip code. It serves a predominantly Hispanic student body, with a smaller share of Black students and a modest representation of other backgrounds. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it firmly among Miami-Dade's higher-need elementary schools. Data on English learner populations and students with IEPs was not available in the data provided.
On the Florida state assessments, the picture across grades is mixed and worth examining closely. In math, third graders show solid proficiency, and fourth graders are close behind, but by fifth grade that rate drops to roughly the mid-range or below for the state. In reading and language arts, third and fourth grade results are roughly similar to each other and sit in a moderate range, while fifth grade ELA proficiency is notably lower and would merit a conversation with the school about what is driving that pattern and how the school addresses it. Science testing, conducted at fifth grade under the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, also shows a relatively low proportion of students reaching proficiency. Trend data across years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving or declining. Parents who want to understand the trajectory should ask the school directly.
No information on programs, course offerings, staffing ratios, attendance, or discipline data was available in the data provided, so the school's support structures, enrichment activities, or any specialty programming cannot be described here.
The housing market in this zip code reflects the broader Miami-Dade reality: home values are well above the Florida statewide median and substantially above national averages, and rents carry a cost-to-income burden that is comparatively high by national standards. Home values in the immediate area have ticked down slightly over the past year while rents have edged up, a pattern consistent with affordability pressure across the county. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home here assumes a meaningful financial commitment, and renters spending a large share of income on housing is the norm rather than the exception in this market.
At the district level, Miami-Dade County Public Schools is navigating notable enrollment decline. Publicly reported information indicates the district enrolled fewer students at the start of the 2025-26 school year than the prior year, and in spring 2026 proposed closing or consolidating up to nine schools, with South Region schools among those considered. Families moving into this area should confirm South Miami Heights Elementary's status and boundary configuration, since reassignments and grade restructurings are a live possibility. The district also passed a property-tax referendum in late 2022 that added a millage above the prior rate, generating funds directed toward teacher pay and school safety; that higher rate runs through 2027 and is a direct cost for homeowners in the area.
The school sits within a large, dense urban system. Miami as a city functions as a commercial and cultural hub for South Florida with connections stretching to Latin America and the Caribbean, and it offers a significant transit infrastructure including Metrorail and Metromover, a public library system of over 50 branches, and substantial park and civic space downtown. The South Miami Heights neighborhood itself is residential and removed from the denser urban core, though Metrorail access to other parts of the county is available to the broader area.
For a family with an elementary-age child in this zone, the most useful next step is a direct conversation with the school about what support it provides for students who are not yet at grade level in reading and science, what happened in the fifth grade results specifically, and whether any boundary or consolidation decision affects this school's future configuration.
See more original research from School Decision →