For the first time in Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ long history, schools in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods have earned the top mark: an “A” rating. Leaders say the milestone, achieved during the 2024–2025 school year, represents both academic progress and a powerful community victory.
Schools are evaluated by The Florida Department of Education.
M-DCPS, the nation’s third-largest school district with more than 335,000 students, secured an overall “A” for the sixth consecutive year. Among the standout schools were Caribbean K–8 Center, Edison Park K–8 Center, Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary School, Dr. Henry W. Mack/West Little River K–8 Center, Carrie P. Meek/Westview K–8 Center, Thomas Jefferson/Biscayne Gardens K–8 Academy, Miami Carol City Senior High School, South Dade Senior High School, and the historic Booker T. Washington Senior High School.
A legacy of perseverance
At Booker T. Washington Senior — the first high school for Black students in South Florida, founded in 1926 — news of its first-ever “A” rating sparked celebration across generations.
Principal Anthony E. Simons III, who has led the school in Overtown for just 13 months, described the achievement as a collective triumph. Last year, the school earned a “B.”
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“The joy from the Alumni Association has been the biggest thing. They are so proud of us, they are so invested in this school, in the students, and in the community. Secondly, the students, because we set a goal and we achieved it,” Simons said, also commending teachers, staff and colleagues.
The school holds a unique legacy as the first to grant full high school diplomas to Black students, drawing enrollees from Belle Glade, Pompano Beach and Immokalee. Alumni and neighbors sustained the school through fires, setbacks, its conversion to a middle school in 1967 during the desegregation process, and ultimately, its reopening as a high school in 1999.
“There are so many people who have given their blood, sweat and tears to see the school succeed,” Simons said. “To see the fruits of the labor that they put in — I think that is just so joyous.”
For senior Makayla McLeroy, the “A” reflects a long-standing sense of resilience and pride.
“I feel like we already hold ourselves to that standard because our teachers don’t treat us like we’re below average,” she said.
What makes the school special, she added, is its familial feel.
“The teachers are your moms, the principals are the grandparents who give you advice.”
Special education teacher Nikki Floyd, who grew up in the community, said the recognition matches what she has always known.
“Proud of Booker T. being an ‘A’ school, but I always knew we operate in excellence, but sometimes we need that guidance, and we need the blueprint of how to achieve a certain goal,” she said.
Intensive reading teacher Renette Collier, who commutes daily from West Palm Beach, described the high school as a place of purpose. She first experienced its impact when enrolling her daughter after homeschooling.
“We traveled from here to West Palm Beach, and she did not stop talking. And she’s not a talker. She had nothing but good things to say. She really feels comfortable here, and to me, that means a lot.”
’Best-kept secret’
A few miles north in Little Haiti, Edison Park K–8 also earned its first “A.” Carla Patrick, principal since 2008, guided the school through many ups and downs, including years of receiving a “C” rating before improving to a “B,” where it stalled for some time.
“Finally, we've made it across the threshold and we are now an ‘A’ school,” she said. “I always like to say we’re the best-kept secret in M-DCPS because you would never think that we're doing so many great things here, but we are, and I think the community is proud.”
Robin McKnight, who once lived in the neighborhood and now uses a parent choice voucher to keep her children enrolled, called Edison Park “a hidden treasure.”
“When we started, we were at a ‘C’ school, so coming from a ‘C’ education to an ‘A’ education is a mind-blowing situation,” she said. McKnight said the intensity of the coursework has also become more challenging, leading her to collaborate with teachers to provide supplementary support at home.
With just over 400 students, Patrick said the size of Edison Park is a benefit.
“In a lot of schools, kids may have pages of discipline problems, but when they get here, because we’re so tiny and close to all of our students, guess what? They can't pull the wool over our eyes. We’re on top of them constantly.”
Fifth graders Jennie Dulcio and Lazaro Carter said they worked hard for that “A.”
“We have a lot of dedication for our school and we actually do our work,” said Lazaro.
The secret formula
Both principals emphasize consistency and presence as key factors to success.
“You could go to some schools — the kids may not even be able to tell you who the principal is, but definitely they know who I am here at this school,” said Patrick.
Teachers are also central to the process. Regular data meetings and small-group interventions helped target struggling students at Edison Park.
“Data drives our decision-making for our students, because not all of the students are on the same page,” said fifth-grade veteran teacher Konshawnia Fowles. “That data gives us a chance to put our kids in smaller and different groups so that we can focus on their needs, and when you focus on the needs, then there won’t be so many challenges.”
At Booker T., Simons described his leadership as “symbiotic,” with open doors for teachers and students to share new strategies.
Patrick noted how incentives also motivate students to have a successful year. At Edison Park, more than 100 students earned a trip to SeaWorld for passing their end-of-year assessments. Those who passed at least one assessment were rewarded at Dezerland Park.
At Booker T., McLeroy negotiated with students looking to win back uniform shorts in exchange for improved performance and behavior.
“The kids came to me and said, ‘Why can’t we wear shorts? We want to wear uniform shorts.’ And I said, ‘If you guys do what you’re supposed to do in the classroom, you do what you’re supposed to do behavior-wise and we have a good year, I’ll change it,’” said Simons.
Programs and opportunities
Simons is pushing new initiatives to meet students’ interests, including a golf team in partnership with Adidas, a revived IT program, and an engineering track tied to the planetarium being renovated on-site.
“We have a new magnet program that's going to be a part of it, so they're going to have all kinds of aerospace engineering and everything that's involved in it,” he said.
Simons also praised the diverse art and drawing classes at Booker T., noting how students’ work got featured on Feeding South Florida's truck.
Patrick is equally proud of Edison Park’s advanced courses.
“We’re able to offer the algebra program here starting in middle school. It’s a high school course,” she said. “This year, I started off with a physical science class. I haven’t been able to do that in the past, but now we’re also opening up that additional acceleration course for students.”
These offerings, Patrick noted, help prepare students to apply for competitive magnet programs. Community support is next on her agenda.
“I’ve already met some restaurant owners that I am going to invite for a community partnership breakfast,” she said.
The work ahead
From Little Haiti to Overtown and Miami Gardens to South Dade, first-time “A” ratings are rewriting expectations. But maintaining the grade will be as challenging as earning it, Patrick and Simons acknowledged.
“You have new kids coming in, who are not coming in as high, and now our teachers are having to work doubly hard to prepare them,” Patrick said. “I think just making sure that we're constantly meeting [to discuss], ‘How are we going to address these deficiencies?’”
Simons views Booker T.’s new “A” as a launchpad to expand career and technical education pathways, initiate a student-run show, and develop new certifications that students can use to balance college and workforce participation after high school.
“We’re going to really work hard and make sure that we stay here because we want to be the district’s best choice,” he said.
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. Read more at miamitimesonline.com.
