The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on North Dade Middle School
North Dade Middle School is a traditional public middle school serving sixth through eighth grade in Miami Gardens, operated by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The school's enrollment is small relative to what you might expect for a three-grade middle school, and its student body is heavily concentrated among Black and Hispanic students, with nearly all students identifying as one of those two groups. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school in a high-need economic context. Data on English learner rates and special education enrollment were not available in what was provided.
The academic picture here is one a parent should look into carefully. Florida's FAST assessment results for the most recent school year show proficiency rates in reading and math that are well below state norms across all three grade levels. In reading, roughly a third of sixth and seventh graders tested as proficient, with eighth grade lower still. Math results vary notably by grade: seventh grade is meaningfully stronger than sixth or eighth grade, but even the strongest grade sits below what most families would consider a comfortable benchmark. Eighth-grade science results follow a similar pattern, with fewer than a quarter of students reaching proficiency on the statewide science assessment. No trend data was available for prior years, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or a persistent pattern. A parent evaluating this school should ask the school directly about what supports are in place for students who are not yet proficient, and whether there are structured pathways or intervention programs for students who need extra help.
Program and course access information was not provided, so it is not possible to characterize what electives, extracurriculars, or enrichment options the school offers. Graduation rate data does not apply here, since the school serves only middle grades. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available.
The school sits within Miami-Dade County Public Schools, one of the largest urban districts in the country. The district is publicly reported to be managing sustained enrollment decline, and a round of school closures and consolidations was under consideration as recently as spring 2026, including restructuring some schools into new grade configurations. Families moving into the area should be aware that school assignments can shift as boundary reviews and consolidation decisions work through the board process.
Miami Gardens itself is a mid-sized city in northern Miami-Dade, predominantly residential in character and heavily car-dependent. The built environment is auto-oriented, with commercial corridors anchored by strip malls and large parking lots rather than walkable town centers, though the city is actively working to change that. A substantial new city center development broke ground in 2024 near Hard Rock Stadium, and the city has been adding industrial and commercial space with plans for significant job growth. Parks and youth sports programs are a real part of community life, with nearly twenty municipal parks and facilities including the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex. Transit options exist, including a free city circulator, Metrobus routes, and Tri-Rail access along the city's southeastern edge, though most daily travel is by car.
Housing near the school carries price tags above the state median, with single-family home values running meaningfully higher than Florida's statewide average. Rents have been rising modestly year over year, and the rent-to-income burden in this zip code is substantial by national standards. The district's voter-approved school property tax, passed in 2022, adds to the carrying cost for homeowners and is set to expire in 2027 unless renewed.
For a family weighing this school, the central question is academic support. The proficiency data reflects real gaps, and a parent would be well served asking the school what its intervention structure looks like, how students who are behind are identified and served, and what the school's relationship is with families around academic progress. The data available here does not answer those questions, but they are the right ones to bring to the school directly.
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