The top reported proficiency rate is 88% in Math. The lowest is 67% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on International Studies Charter Middle School
International Studies Charter Middle School sits on SW 8th Street in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, a few blocks from the restaurant strips and art galleries that anchor that corridor. It is a small-enrollment charter school serving sixth through eighth grade, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. White students make up a meaningful secondary group, and small numbers of Black and multiracial students are also enrolled. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided.
The academic picture here is genuinely strong. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency runs very high across all three grade levels, with eighth graders posting the highest results and seventh graders close behind. ELA proficiency is similarly impressive, particularly in seventh grade where results are exceptionally high, with sixth and eighth grade close. These are not modest margins above average; across the tested grades, reading and math performance at this school sits well above what is typical statewide. The one area worth watching is eighth-grade science, where the Florida Statewide Science Assessment shows proficiency at a noticeably lower level than the school's math and ELA results. It is still a majority-proficient outcome, but the gap relative to the other subjects is real, and a parent may want to ask the school how science instruction is structured and supported through eighth grade.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether results have been climbing, holding, or shifting. The comparison framework noted that the school-level proficiency index was not computed because the county's charter comparison pool is too small to generate a meaningful peer position, so placing this school formally against district neighbors is not possible from the available data.
As a charter school, it is outside the traditional Miami-Dade assignment system, meaning enrollment requires an active application. The school does not offer high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report here. Program details were not included in the data, so the specific curriculum, language offerings, or extracurricular activities that give the school its international studies identity are not described; the school's own materials would be the right place to understand how that theme is carried through daily instruction.
The surrounding neighborhood is walkable and transit-connected. Little Havana scores well on walkability metrics publicly reported for Miami, and the broader city has a very good walkability profile overall, with the Metromover and Metrorail providing access across Miami-Dade without a car. The housing market in the zip code reflects Miami's overall trajectory: home values sit well above both the Florida state median and national median, and rents consume a large share of income at prevailing levels. Both values and rents have edged slightly downward over the past year, a reversal of the rapid appreciation that defined Miami real estate earlier this decade. The tax burden for property owners includes a voter-approved school levy that runs through 2027, adding a modest increment to annual property tax bills.
At the district level, Miami-Dade has been contending with meaningful enrollment decline, and the district has proposed closing or consolidating a number of schools for the coming year. As a charter school, International Studies Charter Middle is a separate entity from the district's boundary restructuring, but families should be aware that the feeder high schools and the broader school landscape in Miami-Dade are in active reconfiguration. A cell phone policy debate is also ongoing: Miami-Dade moved toward educational programs rather than outright restrictions in recent years, but state legislation is advancing toward a stricter all-day ban, with a statewide policy requirement expected by the end of next year.
For a family looking for strong academic results in a small, Latino-majority middle school with an international theme, located in a dense and walkable part of Miami, this school's tested outcomes make it worth serious consideration. The science gap in eighth grade and the absence of program and staffing detail are the main things worth exploring directly with the school before enrolling.
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