The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in Science. The lowest is 62% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mater Academy Kiwanis
Mater Academy Kiwanis is a small charter school in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, serving kindergarten through fifth grade in practice, though it is officially chartered through seventh grade. Enrollment is quite small for its grade band, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, reflecting the surrounding community along Southwest 1st Street. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this squarely in a high-need economic context.
State testing results from Florida's FAST assessments give a mixed picture. In math, fourth graders performed well above what you might expect given the school's demographics, scoring near the top of the state's typical range for that grade, while third and fifth graders came in at a more moderate level. ELA results follow a similar uneven pattern: fifth grade was strong, fourth grade was middling, and third grade was below the midpoint. Fifth-grade science was a clear strength, with a very high share of students reaching proficiency on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment. Because the school currently enrolls no students in sixth or seventh grade despite those grades appearing in its charter, there are no testing results above fifth grade, and there is no graduation rate since the school does not serve high school grades.
Multi-year trend data was not available in the data provided, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, stability, or a dip. A parent may want to ask the school directly about trajectory, particularly in third-grade ELA, where current proficiency sits below half of students tested.
Data on chronic absenteeism, special education services, and English learner programs was not reported in the data provided. Given that a substantial share of students likely come from Spanish-speaking households in Little Havana, how the school supports English learners is a practical question worth asking the school directly.
The school sits in Miami-Dade County Public Schools' jurisdiction for charter purposes, and the district-level context matters here. Publicly reported information indicates that Miami-Dade is managing a notable enrollment decline, with proposals in spring 2026 to close or consolidate up to nine schools. That directly affects district-assigned schools rather than this charter, but it signals a shifting landscape for families. The district's school cell phone policy has been in flux, with state legislation advancing toward a full school-day restriction by the end of next year. A voter-approved property tax increase funds teacher pay and safety staffing through 2027, after which voters would need to renew it; homeowners in the zip code are already carrying that additional annual cost.
The housing market around the school is among the more expensive in Florida. Home values in this zip code run well above the Florida state benchmark and considerably above the national median. Rents are high enough that rent-to-income burden for the area's typical household is substantial, a tension that sits oddly alongside a school where nearly nine in ten students qualify for subsidized meals. The two populations, long-term residents and newer higher-income arrivals, are part of the same block-by-block Miami transformation that has reshaped Little Havana and adjacent neighborhoods.
Miami itself offers what amounts to a dense, walkable urban environment. The neighborhood around the school is in the high walkable range, with strong pedestrian access to everyday needs. The Metromover is free and covers the downtown core. The Underline, a multi-mile greenway originating downtown, and the monthly road closures for cyclists and pedestrians give kids and families options that don't exist in most Florida cities. The main branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library system is downtown and accessible by transit.
For a family weighing this school: its science and fourth-grade math results are genuine strengths worth noting. Third-grade reading warrants a closer conversation with the school. The small enrollment means a tight-knit peer environment, which some families value and others find limiting. No program offerings data was available in what was provided, so the school's extracurricular or enrichment picture is unknown.
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