The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Science. The lowest is 73% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on The Charter School at Waterstone
The Charter School at Waterstone sits on Waterstone Way in Homestead, at the southern tip of Miami-Dade County, serving kindergarten through fifth grade in practice, though the NCES record lists it through eighth grade. Enrollment data shows no students in grades six through eight, meaning the school currently operates as a K-5 campus. Families considering it for middle school years should ask the school directly about its grade-band plans before assuming those grades are available.
The school is a charter, authorized within Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and draws from Waterstone, one of the master-planned residential communities that has driven Homestead's steady residential growth over the past two decades. It is a mid-to-large campus for an elementary charter, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, reflecting the broader demographics of south Miami-Dade. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which gives some context for reading the academic results. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in this data set; parents with children in either category may want to ask the school about specific supports.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the school's results are genuinely strong. In third and fourth grade math, proficiency runs well above what most Florida elementary schools post, and fourth grade ELA is similarly high. Fifth grade math and ELA are somewhat lower but still comfortably above the typical Florida school performance range. Fifth grade science, on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, stands out as the school's strongest result, with the large majority of students reaching proficiency. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether scores are improving, holding, or softening over time, which is a gap worth asking the school about. A graduation rate does not apply here given the grade band served.
The comparison dataset for Miami-Dade County was too small to yield a meaningful ranking against neighboring districts, so no county-level positioning is offered.
The Waterstone neighborhood itself is car-oriented suburban construction, typical of the broader Homestead growth pattern. Daily errands and school pickup will almost certainly require driving. The historic downtown, with Losner Park, the Cybrarium, the Seminole Theatre, and Homestead Station's entertainment complex, is a separate civic cluster a few miles away and gives families a genuine gathering place for weekends and community events. The South Dade TransitWay connects Homestead north toward Dadeland for families who use transit, and the city trolley links schools to shopping and transit stations.
The housing market around the school leans toward relatively new single-family homes and townhomes, with prices above the Florida statewide median, though values in the immediate zip code have pulled back modestly over the past year. Rents have also dipped slightly. Affordability relative to income is a real consideration: the estimated rent-to-income ratio for the area sits noticeably above what most financial planners consider comfortable, which is worth factoring in for families on the threshold of renting versus buying.
At the district level, Miami-Dade voters approved a property-tax referendum in 2022 that funds teacher pay and school safety staffing and runs through 2027. Separately, the district is managing a sharp enrollment decline that has prompted proposals to close or consolidate up to nine schools, with some campuses shifting to new grade configurations. Because the Charter School at Waterstone operates independently within the district, these closure proposals likely do not apply directly, but families in the broader area should be aware the district's school map is actively shifting. A statewide cell phone policy is also in motion, with Florida legislation advancing to prohibit phone use throughout the school day by the end of 2026; Miami-Dade had initially taken a parental-education approach rather than a hard ban, but the state policy will eventually supersede local decisions.
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