The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sports Leadership and Management (slam) Middle School - Nor
Sports Leadership and Management (SLAM) Middle School in North Miami Beach is a small charter school serving grades six through eight within Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The school's organizing premise, evident in its name, is a sports-focused academic and career pathway for middle schoolers, though the data provided does not detail specific curriculum or program offerings beyond the school's identity, so families considering it for that reason should ask the school directly about how that theme is embedded in the daily experience.
The student body is small for a middle school, drawn heavily from the surrounding community. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population facing meaningful economic hardship. Students are predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share who are Black, and very small numbers of white or multiracial students. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided.
On Florida's state assessments, SLAM Middle School's results sit below the level most families would consider strong. In math, sixth graders passed at a low rate, with seventh and eighth graders somewhat higher but still well short of a majority. In ELA, results were fairly similar across all three grade levels, with roughly half of students or fewer reaching proficiency. The most concerning figure is in eighth-grade science, where only a small fraction of students scored proficient on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment. These numbers warrant a direct conversation with school leadership about what academic supports are in place, how students are being prepared for high school, and what trends look like over time. Multi-year trend data was not available in what was provided, so it is not possible to say whether performance has been improving or declining.
No comparison against other schools or districts in Miami-Dade County was computable from available data, given the small number of comparable entities in the county's set, so the school cannot be placed in a peer context here.
North Miami Beach itself is a dense, auto-oriented city with a pronounced Latin American and Caribbean cultural character, organized into distinct neighborhoods and anchored commercially by the NE 163rd Street corridor. Jackson North Medical Center is a major local employer, and the city has been actively redeveloping its downtown core, with several large mixed-use residential projects underway or recently completed. Home values in the surrounding zip code are well above the Florida statewide median and have edged slightly downward over the past year, while rents have ticked upward. Rent as a share of income sits at a level that makes the area a genuine financial stretch for many households, particularly those at lower income levels. Families with students at SLAM, given its overwhelmingly low-income enrollment, are likely navigating this housing cost pressure directly.
At the district level, Miami-Dade is managing a sustained enrollment decline that has pushed the school board to consider closing or consolidating multiple schools, including some in the North Region where SLAM sits. Families considering the school should confirm its operational status and whether any boundary or consolidation decisions affect it. A voter-approved property tax levy supporting teacher pay and campus safety runs through 2027 and adds a modest but real cost for homeowners. The district also navigated a cell phone policy debate; while Miami-Dade initially took an educational rather than restrictive approach, state legislation is pushing toward a full school-day prohibition statewide, with a required policy by the end of 2026.
For a family drawn to a sports-themed middle school environment in a predominantly Hispanic and Black urban community, SLAM offers a distinctive identity. The academic results as currently reported are a real consideration, and parents will want to press the school on its specific pathway programming, academic intervention strategies, and student outcomes at the high school level before making a decision.
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