Are you looking for a school in South Florida? These just made the best list!

By Manny Pon | October 27, 2021

Several South Florida schools made it into the top ranks for best public elementary and middle schools in Florida as well as into the top five for charters, according to new rankings by U.S. News & World Report.

Two of the schools that ranked high were Somerset Academy at SoMi (South Miami campus) and Doral Academy of Technology. Both charter schools — Somerset in the elementary division and Doral in the middle school division — were named No. 1 for schools in Miami-Dade County and for charter schools in Florida.

Doral Academy also snagged the No. 2 spot for best middle school in Florida, with Somerset Academy securing the No. 3 spot for best elementary school in Florida. Somerset Academy at SoMi also garnered the No. 3 spot for best middle school charter in Florida. The school goes from kindergarten to eighth grade.

South Florida schools — those in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties — made up half of the top 10 elementary schools in Florida and six of the top 10 middle schools statewide. They also made up four of the top 10 magnet elementary schools, eight of the top 10 magnet middle schools, and seven of the top 10 middle school charters statewide, including the top five.

Schools in Monroe County were included in the statewide rankings, but didn’t make the list until well past the 100 mark.

The rankings are part of U.S. News & World Report’s inaugural list of best public elementary and middle schools, including charters and magnet, across the country. Private schools are not included on the lists.

The media company has been ranking universities and colleges globally since the early 1980s. It also has an annual Best High School list. However, unlike the high school rankings, Florida elementary and middle schools were not compared to schools in other states.

RANKINGS BASED ON TEST RESULTS, GRADUATION RATES, OTHER FACTORS

A school’s ranking was based on a variety of factors, including performance on state-required tests, graduation rates, and how well the school prepares students for high school, all done in the context of socioeconomic demographics, according to U.S. News methodology.

The rankings are separated into two lists, one that looks at elementary schools and another that looks at middle schools. K-8 centers appear on both lists. The elementary and middle school lists can be filtered to compare schools statewide or by school district, with the school’s district rank based entirely on its state rank.

“For example, if the highest-ranked elementary school in a school district is No. 30 in its state, then that school is ranked No. 1 in its district; if the second highest-ranked school in that same district is No. 250 statewide, then that school is ranked No. 2 in its district,” U.S. News explains.

The statewide lists can also be filtered to look at charter or magnet schools only.

So, did your child’s South Florida school make the top three in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties?

WHAT ARE THE TOP SCHOOLS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY?

The top 3 public elementary schools:

▪ Somerset Academy at SoMi, a charter school in South Miami. It also ranked No. 1 for Florida Charter Elementary schools and No. 3 for elementary schools statewide.

 

The top 3 public middle schools:

▪ Doral Academy of Technology, a charter school in Doral. It also ranked No. 1 in Florida Charter Middle Schools and No. 2 for Florida middle schools.

BEST SCHOOLS IN BROWARD COUNTY?

The top 3 public Broward elementary schools are:

▪ Somerset Academy Miramar South, a charter school in Miramar. It also ranked at No. 2 for elementary charter schools in Florida and No. 5 for elementary schools statewide.

▪ Somerset Academy Davie Charter School, a charter school in Davie. It also ranked at No. 7 for Florida Charter Elementary Schools and No. 18 for elementary schools statewide.

Credits: Michelle Marchante at Miami Herald

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article255198067.html#storylink=cpy