The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Math. The lowest is 64% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Somerset Academy Charter Elementary School (south Homestead
Somerset Academy Charter Elementary School (South Homestead) sits on SE 1st Drive in Homestead, Florida, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as a charter school within Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Its enrollment is sizeable for an elementary charter, spread fairly evenly across grades from kindergarten through fifth. The school draws a predominantly Hispanic student body, with Black and white students making up smaller shares and other groups present in very small numbers. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which means the school serves a community with meaningful economic need. Data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available in the materials we reviewed, so a parent wanting to understand those supports should ask the school directly.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the academic picture is mixed but has genuine strengths. Third-grade math stands out clearly: proficiency there is well above what most Florida elementary schools achieve, and it is a real high point. Fourth-grade math remains solid. Fifth-grade math dips noticeably, and that softening is worth asking the school about, particularly for families whose child will arrive in the upper elementary grades. In ELA, third grade posts a respectable result, fourth grade is lower, and fifth grade recovers somewhat. On the fifth-grade Florida Statewide Science Assessment, roughly two-thirds of students tested proficient, a result that is decent without being exceptional. Multi-year trend data was not available, so there is no way from this data to tell whether scores have been rising, falling, or holding steady.
Because the comparison set in this county contains only a small number of districts, a formal positioning of this school against its neighbors was not possible from the data. Parents should weigh the FAST results directly against state averages, which are publicly reported and provide a useful reference.
The school is a charter, which means families choose it rather than being assigned. There are no programs listed in the data, so the nature of any specialized curriculum or approach beyond the standard charter structure is not something this data can address. A call or visit to the school would clarify what the educational model looks like day to day.
Homestead itself gives context to who lives near this school. It is a fast-growing, car-oriented city at the southern end of Miami-Dade County, with a historic downtown core that has seen real investment in recent years, including a new library, a transit hub, and streetscape improvements along Krome Avenue. Beyond that downtown cluster, the city reads as spread-out suburban development, heavy on single-family homes and townhomes in master-planned communities. Major employers include Homestead Hospital, Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station, Homestead Air Reserve Base, and a range of retail and service businesses. The South Dade TransitWay connects the area northward toward Miami.
Housing near the school carries a price tag well above both the Florida statewide median and the national median, and recent values have edged slightly downward year over year. Monthly mortgage estimates on a typical home in the area are substantial, and the rent-to-income ratio runs high enough that housing affordability is a real constraint for many families in this community, which aligns with what the school's free-and-reduced-lunch rate suggests about the economic circumstances of families already here.
At the district level, Miami-Dade is navigating significant enrollment decline, and in spring 2026 the district proposed closing or consolidating up to nine schools, with changes concentrated in all three regions including the South. Families moving to Homestead should be aware that school assignments and grade configurations could shift, though as a charter school Somerset Academy operates somewhat differently from zoned district schools and a family should confirm directly how enrollment and any potential district reorganization might affect their child's placement. Voters approved a property-tax increase for teacher pay and school safety that runs through 2027, which adds a modest cost to homeownership in the district. A statewide cellphone policy is also moving through the Florida legislature and will likely reshape classroom rules across all Miami-Dade schools within the next year or two.
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