The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in English language arts. The lowest is 46% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mater Academy Lakes Middle School
Mater Academy Lakes Middle School is a charter middle school serving sixth through eighth grade, located in Hialeah in northwest Miami-Dade County. It draws almost entirely Hispanic students, reflecting the surrounding community, and a substantial majority of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the records reviewed.
On Florida's state assessments, the school's math and ELA results are generally strong for a charter serving a high-poverty population. Seventh grade stands out in particular: in both ELA and math, a large majority of seventh graders tested proficient, results that compare favorably to what one would expect given the school's demographics. Sixth and eighth grade math and ELA proficiency rates are also solid, landing in a range that reflects real academic traction. The one area that warrants a closer conversation with the school is eighth grade science, where the statewide science assessment showed less than half of students reaching proficiency, a meaningful gap relative to the school's performance in literacy and math. Parents of students bound for high school science sequences may want to ask directly how the school supports that transition.
No trend data across years was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results reflect improvement, stability, or a different pattern over time.
The school is part of the Mater Academy charter network and is classified as a regular public charter school within Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Because it is a charter, families apply rather than enroll by attendance boundary, which matters in a district currently experiencing sustained enrollment decline and actively consolidating schools. Boundary-based reassignments that may affect traditional public school families in Hialeah would not directly affect Mater Academy Lakes Middle's enrollment structure, though families considering the school alongside district options should be aware that nearby zoned schools could see reconfigured grade structures or closures as the district responds to its enrollment situation.
Graduation rate does not apply here since the school serves only middle grades.
The surrounding area of Hialeah is a densely built, predominantly Cuban-American city where everyday life moves through a mix of commercial corridors, compact residential blocks, and industrial zones. The school sits on NW 87th Avenue in a part of Hialeah that is car-oriented, though the city has unusually good rail transit for a South Florida municipality, with both Metrorail and Tri-Rail connections linking residents to Miami International Airport, downtown Miami, and points north into Broward and Palm Beach counties. Major employers include hospitals and healthcare systems, along with retail and industrial tenants. The city is in the middle of a substantial transit-oriented development push, with multiple large residential projects under construction near its rail stations, so the neighborhood context around the school may shift noticeably over the next several years.
On housing, the local market around the school's zip code sits slightly above the Florida statewide benchmark for home values and is also above the national benchmark. Values have pulled back modestly year over year, as has the typical asking rent. Even so, the rent-to-income ratio in this area reflects a housing cost burden that is common across South Florida, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home in the area is substantial relative to median incomes. A November 2022 property tax referendum, publicly reported by WLRN and the Miami Herald, raised the school tax rate and is scheduled to expire in 2027 unless voters renew it; that adds a recurring line item for homeowners to factor in.
For a family weighing this school, the academic picture in reading and math is a genuine strength across grades, with seventh grade particularly strong. Science at eighth grade is the area to probe further. As a charter with a nearly all-Hispanic, majority-economically-disadvantaged enrollment, it serves a specific community well by the numbers available, and the school's structure means enrollment stability does not depend on the district's broader consolidation decisions.
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