The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Math. The lowest is 55% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pinecrest Academy Charter Middle School
Pinecrest Academy Charter Middle School sits on the southwestern edge of Miami, serving sixth through eighth grade as a public charter school within the Miami-Dade system. Its enrollment is modest for a standalone middle school, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting the demographics of the surrounding Westchester and Kendall-adjacent neighborhoods. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school in a context where many families are navigating real economic pressure alongside the high cost of living that characterizes Miami's housing market.
On state assessments, the school's results are genuinely strong in math and reading. Sixth-grade math proficiency is the highest of any tested grade, and seventh and eighth graders also clear the bar at rates that compare well against what you'd expect from a Florida middle school serving a predominantly lower-income population. ELA results track similarly across the three grades, with seventh graders performing somewhat ahead of the sixth-grade cohort and eighth grade landing in between. Science, assessed only in eighth grade, comes in noticeably lower than the school's math and reading results, which is a pattern worth asking the school about directly. No multi-year trend data was available in the current data set, so it is not possible to say whether these results have been improving, holding steady, or slipping.
Program-specific information was not provided in the data available to us, so families interested in any specialized courses, enrichment offerings, or extracurricular life should reach out to the school. Data on chronic absenteeism, disciplinary rates, staffing ratios, and English learner or special education populations were also not available, and a parent with a child who has an IEP or English language learning needs may want to verify those services directly with school administrators before enrolling.
Because this is a charter school that runs only grades six through eight, graduation rate data does not apply here.
The surrounding community is Miami in its southwestern, more residential expression, further from the dense downtown core and more car-dependent than the city's urban center neighborhoods. Housing values in this zip code run substantially above both the Florida and national medians, and rents are high enough that housing costs consume a notably large share of income for many families. Home values in the immediate area saw a slight year-over-year dip while rents edged upward, suggesting the local market remains expensive even as it cools slightly at the ownership end.
The parent district, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, is navigating publicly reported enrollment declines that are driving school closures and consolidations across all three of its geographic regions. As of spring 2026, the district proposed closing or merging up to nine schools, with several boundary reconfigurations expected to produce new school configurations including K-8 and 6-12 combined schools. Families considering a move to the area should be aware that traditional public school assignments may shift. Pinecrest Academy's charter status means it operates somewhat independently of those boundary changes, but families should confirm its enrollment and lottery policies directly.
A voter-approved property tax measure, passed in late 2022, raised the school tax rate to fund teacher compensation and campus safety across Miami-Dade. That levy is set to expire in 2027 absent renewal, which is relevant context for homeowners thinking about total housing costs. Separately, Florida is moving toward a stricter statewide cellphone policy by the end of 2026, and how that ultimately plays out in Miami-Dade classrooms is still being determined.
For a family whose child is a strong or motivated math student, or who wants a smaller, predominantly Hispanic-serving charter environment with solid academic results relative to the surrounding district, this school is worth a close look. The science results and the absence of program detail are the clearest gaps to explore before making a decision.
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