The top reported proficiency rate is 93% in Math. The lowest is 47% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Downtown Doral Charter Upper School
Downtown Doral Charter Upper School sits in the heart of Doral's purpose-built urban town center, a few blocks from City Hall and the city's new branch library. It is a charter school serving grades six through twelve, drawing from a city that has grown rapidly from former industrial land into one of Miami-Dade's most commercially active and increasingly residential communities. The school's proximity to Downtown Doral's walkable core means students arrive in an environment that was designed with pedestrian life in mind, including public plazas, tree-lined streets, and outdoor dining, which is a different physical context than most South Florida middle-high campuses.
The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting Doral's strong South American, and particularly Venezuelan, cultural character. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a population that skews toward middle and upper-middle income, consistent with the city's general demographic profile. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in the records provided, so families with those specific needs should ask the school directly about its support structures.
Academically, the picture is strong across most of what the state measures. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency across the tested middle school grades runs at or near the top of what one sees in high-performing schools statewide, with sixth, seventh, and eighth grade each posting results well above typical Florida benchmarks. ELA proficiency in sixth and seventh grade is similarly high. Eighth grade ELA comes in noticeably lower than the school's own math results, and a parent may want to ask the school what accounts for that gap and what supports are in place for writers and readers at that level. The eighth grade science assessment tells a different story: just under half of eighth graders scored proficient, which sits closer to a state midpoint than to the school's strong math performance. That is a meaningful divergence worth exploring with the school, particularly for students who plan to pursue science-intensive coursework in high school.
The school serves grades nine through twelve as well, but Florida's FAST testing covers only the middle grades, so there is no state assessment data here for the high school portion. Program offerings for the upper grades, including any AP courses, dual enrollment, or career pathways, were not available in the data provided. Families considering this school for a ninth grader or above should request that course catalog directly.
Graduation rate data was not available in the records provided.
Doral's housing market sits well above both the state and national median home values, and rents run high relative to income. The price-to-income ratio locally is elevated compared to national norms, and the rent burden as a share of income is substantial. Home values in the immediate area have edged slightly downward over the past year, while rents have held roughly flat. Families relocating to be near this school are entering one of the more expensive residential markets in South Florida.
On the district side, Downtown Doral Charter operates under the Miami-Dade umbrella, which carries a few relevant developments. A voter-approved property tax increase funds teacher pay and school safety staffing; that levy is set to expire in 2027 unless renewed, so families who own property should track that timeline. Separately, the broader Miami-Dade district is managing significant enrollment decline and has proposed closing or consolidating a number of schools. Charter schools are not directly subject to those reassignment decisions in the way traditional public schools are, but the overall district context is one of contraction, and families considering traditional public options alongside this charter should be aware that school assignments and grade configurations may shift.
The comparison metrics for proficiency, chronic absenteeism, and graduation rate could not be positioned against other Miami-Dade County districts in a meaningful way given the size of the available comparison set, so no relative standing is reported here.
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