The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Imater Academy Middle School
iMater Academy Middle School is a public charter school serving grades six through eight, located on West 20th Street in Hialeah, a densely populated, predominantly Cuban-American city in northwestern Miami-Dade County. The school operates under the Miami-Dade district's charter framework, which means it draws on public funding while operating with its own governance. Its student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting the surrounding neighborhood, and a very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this firmly in a high-need economic context. Data on English learner status and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided.
On Florida's FAST assessments for the most recent reported school year, the picture in reading and math is mixed across grade levels. Sixth-grade results in both ELA and math are above the midpoint, meaning the majority of tested students reached proficiency. Seventh-grade math proficiency is similarly majority-passing, while seventh-grade ELA sits just above half. Eighth-grade ELA lands in roughly similar territory, but eighth-grade math proficiency falls well below the majority, and eighth-grade science proficiency on the statewide assessment is the lowest figure reported, with fewer than a third of students reaching the bar. The science number in particular is something a parent may want to raise directly with the school, asking about curriculum structure, pacing, and what supports exist for students who are not yet on track. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from these figures whether outcomes are improving, holding steady, or declining.
Graduation rate does not apply here, as this is a middle school with no high school grades. Program-specific information, course offerings, staffing, attendance, and chronic absenteeism data were not provided, leaving gaps a family would want to fill through a visit or conversation with the school.
The surrounding community shapes the daily texture of life for students and families. Hialeah is one of Florida's largest cities by population, urban in density, and built largely by Cuban immigrants and their descendants. Cafeterias, bakeries, flea markets, and neighborhood businesses operating in Spanish define the commercial fabric along corridors like Palm Avenue and the Palm Springs Mile. Transit access is unusually strong for a Florida city: Metrorail and Tri-Rail connections near the Hialeah stations link the area to downtown Miami, Miami International Airport, and points north into Broward and Palm Beach counties, which matters for families commuting without a car and for older students eventually navigating the region independently.
The housing market around the school's zip code reflects broad Miami-Dade pricing pressure. Home values sit well above both the Florida and national medians, and rent consumes a share of income that is above a comfortable threshold by standard measures. Year-over-year home values have ticked slightly down while rents have edged slightly up, but neither shift is large enough to substantially change the affordability picture. Families renting here are spending a meaningful portion of household income on housing.
Hialeah itself is in an active development period. Transit-oriented projects near the Tri-Rail and Metrorail stations are converting former warehouse and industrial parcels into apartment communities, some targeting workforce and attainable housing. This suggests a neighborhood in flux near its rail corridors, with new residents and residential density being added over the next several years.
At the district level, Miami-Dade voters approved a property tax measure to fund teacher pay and school safety, a cost homeowners carry through the end of the decade unless renewed. More pressing for families considering any school in the district is an ongoing enrollment decline that led to a proposal in spring 2026 to close or consolidate up to nine schools across the county, with some new grade-band configurations under consideration. Families moving into the area should ask explicitly whether iMater's enrollment and charter contract are stable and unaffected by those restructuring discussions. As a charter, its situation may differ from district-run schools, but the broader climate of boundary and configuration changes is worth tracking. A statewide cellphone policy requiring all districts to restrict phone use during the school day by the end of 2026 is also moving forward, which will affect daily classroom norms here as elsewhere.
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