Academir Charter School Preparatory, Miami FL

Original Research by School Decision on Academir Charter School Preparatory

Academir Charter School Preparatory sits in the southwestern edge of Miami, serving kindergarten through eighth grade as a public charter school under the Miami-Dade umbrella. Its enrollment is large for a K-8 charter, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting the surrounding Southwest Miami-Dade neighborhoods. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this squarely in a high-need economic context. Data on English learner and special education populations were not available in what was provided.

On state assessments, the picture is genuinely mixed and worth reading carefully by grade. In the early elementary years, math proficiency on Florida's FAST assessment is strong, with third and fourth graders performing well above the majority of students tested statewide. ELA proficiency in those same grades runs in the high sixties to seventy, a solid result. The trouble shows clearly at fifth grade, where math proficiency drops to roughly the low end of what one would call adequate, a notable dip relative to both the school's own earlier grades and the broader state population. ELA at fifth grade also softens, though less dramatically. Sixth through eighth grade math recovers somewhat, with seventh and eighth posting results that are respectable in context, and ELA across the middle grades holds relatively steady in the high sixties to seventy range. The weakest single result in the data is eighth grade science, where the Florida Statewide Science Assessment shows proficiency well below half the tested students, a gap a parent would want to raise directly with school leadership to understand what support structures exist.

The pattern suggests that the transition years, particularly fifth grade, and the science curriculum in middle school are areas where the school's outcomes fall short of what its early-grade performance might lead a family to expect. Whether those dips reflect instructional gaps, the population served, or year-to-year variation in cohorts is not something the data here can resolve. Families considering this school for a child entering the upper elementary or middle grades may want to ask specifically about how the school approaches those transition points.

No information on program offerings, course access, staffing ratios, or attendance data was included in what was provided, so those dimensions cannot be characterized here.

The school sits in Miami's southwestern residential zone, a part of the city that functions quite differently from the walkable, high-density Downtown core. Housing near this school runs well above both the Florida statewide median and the national median, a reflection of Miami-Dade's broader cost pressures. Rents in the surrounding zip code consume a high share of income relative to national norms, and monthly ownership costs are substantial. Year-over-year home values in the immediate area have dipped slightly, while rents have edged up a bit, consistent with a market that remains expensive but has cooled from its recent peak.

The parent district, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, is navigating a period of real structural change. Publicly reported information indicates the district approved a property tax increase in 2022 to fund teacher pay and school safety, with that rate set to expire in 2027 unless renewed, a direct ongoing cost for homeowners. More immediately relevant for families choosing schools: the district is facing sharp enrollment decline and, as of spring 2026, was considering closing or consolidating up to nine schools, which could affect attendance boundaries and grade configurations across the county. As a charter school, Academir operates somewhat independently of those boundary decisions, but families should be aware of the shifting landscape in the district around them.

A statewide cell phone policy requiring schools to restrict phone use throughout the day was moving through the Florida legislature with a required implementation deadline approaching, meaning classroom phone rules across Miami-Dade schools, including charters, are likely to change in the near term.

For a family drawn to a Spanish-dominant, community-rooted peer environment in a K-8 setting, with strong early-elementary academic results and a charter school structure, this school has real strengths to offer. The fifth grade math dip and the eighth grade science result are facts to explore before enrolling a child who would be entering those years.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 375%

School 75% · District 69% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 68% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 62% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 64% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 54% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 60% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 60% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 59% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 770%

School 70% · District 62% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 60% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 56% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 46% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

This schoolMIAMI-DADE, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income65%Higher-income92%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income70%Higher-income71%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income60%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income81%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income69%Higher-income77%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income68%Higher-income69%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income72%Higher-income92%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income74%Higher-income71%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income29%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income56%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income73%Higher-income67%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income70%Higher-income44%26 pp gap