The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in Math. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Palm Glades Preparatory Academy
Palm Glades Preparatory Academy is a charter middle school serving sixth through eighth grade, located in the southernmost stretch of Miami-Dade County, well removed from the urban core. The address places it in a quieter, more suburban edge of Miami near the Homestead corridor, distinct in character from the dense neighborhoods most people picture when they hear "Miami." Families choosing this school are generally making a deliberate, enrollment-by-choice decision rather than a neighborhood-assignment one.
The school is small for its grade band. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a meaningful share of Black students and very few students from other racial backgrounds. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this in the category of schools serving a largely economically disadvantaged population. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the records we reviewed, so families with students in those categories may want to ask the school directly about services and supports.
Academic results from Florida's FAST assessments in the 2024-25 school year are a mixed picture. Math proficiency stands out as a clear strength in the sixth and seventh grades, where well above a majority of students tested as proficient, and seventh grade in particular posted especially strong results by state standards. Sixth-grade ELA proficiency was also solid, sitting comfortably above the majority. Seventh-grade ELA followed at a comparable level.
Eighth grade is where a parent should take a closer look. Both math and ELA proficiency rates drop notably from the seventh-grade results, with ELA in particular landing just above half of students reaching the proficient threshold. Science results in eighth grade, measured by the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, are the most concerning data point in the profile: a relatively small share of eighth graders tested as proficient, a result that falls well short of what the school achieves in other subjects and grades. This is worth raising directly with school leadership, especially for families whose students are approaching or entering eighth grade.
Trend data was not available, so it is not possible from the current records to say whether these patterns are improving, stable, or worsening over time.
No information was available on program offerings, course access, extracurricular activities, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. For a family weighing this school as the place where a child will spend three years of middle school, those are real gaps to fill through a visit or conversation with the school.
The comparison framework for positioning this school relative to its neighbors is limited because only three districts operate in Miami-Dade County, making a meaningful peer comparison unavailable from the data. The school falls under the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district umbrella as a charter, and that district is navigating a period of meaningful turbulence: publicly reported enrollment declines have prompted the district to propose closing or consolidating multiple schools, reconfiguring grade structures, and redrawing attendance boundaries. Families enrolling in a charter school are somewhat insulated from reassignment pressures that affect traditional public school students, but the broader district context, including a voter-approved property tax increase set to expire in 2027 and a shifting statewide phone policy, forms the backdrop for any decision.
On the housing side, the zip code near the school sits in a market where home values are well above both the Florida state median and the national median, and where rent as a share of income runs high. Home values have ticked slightly downward year over year, reflecting a broader softening in the South Florida market. Buying in this area requires a meaningful financial commitment; renting is similarly stretched relative to typical household income.
For a family already in or moving to the southern edge of Miami-Dade and seeking a small charter environment with strong math instruction in the early middle grades, Palm Glades Preparatory Academy has real assets to consider. The eighth-grade science results and the absence of program and support data are the areas where more information would sharpen the picture before committing.
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