The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in Math. The lowest is 53% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mater Academy Charter Middle School
Mater Academy Charter Middle School sits on NW 103rd Street in Hialeah Gardens, a small, densely settled city in the northwest corner of Miami-Dade County. The surrounding community is overwhelmingly Hispanic and Spanish-speaking, with a working-class character shaped by light manufacturing and warehouse operations along the Okeechobee Road corridor, large-format retail, and residential neighborhoods of single-family homes and apartment complexes. Getting around requires a car for most errands; bus service is limited and a Metrorail station is not within the city itself.
The school is a charter, serving grades six through eight, and the student body reflects the neighborhood almost exactly. Virtually the entire enrollment is Hispanic, and a very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, marking this as a school serving a predominantly low-income community. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available in the materials we reviewed, so parents of students in those categories will want to ask the school directly about services and staffing.
On Florida's FAST assessments for the 2024-25 school year, math results stand out. Sixth graders and eighth graders both posted strong proficiency rates, putting them well above what many comparable middle schools produce. Seventh-grade math proficiency comes in noticeably lower than the other two grade levels, which is worth asking the school about since the gap is real and not a data artifact. ELA results are more moderate across all three grades, with sixth grade the strongest and eighth grade somewhat lower. Eighth-grade science, assessed through Florida's Statewide Science Assessment, landed just above half of students reaching proficiency, which is softer ground and an area a parent may want to explore further with the school. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible from this profile alone to say whether these results are improving, stable, or in flux.
Graduation rate does not apply here because the school serves only middle grades. The comparison framework for positioning this school against peers in Miami-Dade County could not be applied due to the small number of comparable entities in the data set, so a direct county ranking is not available.
Publicly reported information notes that the broader Mater Academy campus on NW 103rd Street includes a Performing Arts Pavilion adjacent to the main building. The school offers a meaningful range of clubs, including National Honor Society, DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, HOSA, Model UN, Robotics, Key Club, and more than a dozen others. That breadth suggests an active extracurricular culture for a middle school, and for families who view those pathways as a measure of school character, it is a genuine strength.
The parent district, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, carries some context that charter families should understand even if they are somewhat insulated from it. The district is managing sustained enrollment decline and has proposed closing or consolidating a substantial number of schools, with possible reassignments and restructured grade configurations ahead. A voter-approved property tax surcharge currently funds teacher pay and campus security and is set to expire in 2027 unless renewed, making that an ongoing homeowner consideration. On cell phones, Miami-Dade initially chose education programs over a ban, though state legislation is moving toward a stricter districtwide policy required by the end of 2026.
The housing market in the zip code shows home values running below the Florida statewide median and below national benchmarks, with values declining year over year. Rents are high relative to income, with the rent-to-income ratio placing a real affordability strain on households at median earnings. New residential construction is actively expanding in Hialeah Gardens, particularly on former farmland, which may signal some demographic and infrastructure change in the coming years.
For a family already living in Hialeah Gardens or considering it, Mater Academy Charter Middle School offers genuinely strong math outcomes at two of three grade levels, a wide range of clubs for middle schoolers, and a peer environment that mirrors the community's own cultural character. The softer ELA and science numbers are real and worth understanding before enrolling, and the missing data on English learner and special education services is a gap worth closing with a direct conversation with school staff.
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