your ultimate guide to schools in miami

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Finding the right school for your child is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make as a parent, and in Miami, it’s also one of the most confusing. Public, private, charter, magnet, Montessori, IB, faith-based, bilingual. Every neighborhood has options, and every option has its own application process, timeline, and price tag.

That’s why we put this guide together. Below you’ll find schools organized by neighborhood, from infant programs and preschools all the way through 12th grade, along with the key dates you need for the 2026-27 school year and a plain-English breakdown of how each type of school actually admits students.

Bookmark it, share it with the mom in your group chat who just moved here, and know that we update this guide every year.

Miami Schools Guide

Brickell & Downtown

Aguamarina Brickell – Private, Preschool
Brickell International Academy – Private, Preschool
Cherry Blossom Learning Center – Private, Preschool
Gordon School – Private, Infants-Grade 7
iPrep Academy – Public, Magnet, Grades K-12
Key Point Academy – Private, Preschool-Grade 5
KLA Academy Brickell – Private, Preschool

La Prima Casa – Private, Preschool
Lincoln Marti – Private, Preschool-Grade 12
Little Executive Preschool – Private, Preschool
School for Advanced Studies (SAS) Wolfson – Public, Magnet, Grades 11-12
Tiniciti Preschool – Private, Preschool

Coconut Grove & Coral Gables

Banyan Day School – Private, Preschool
Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart – Private, Preschool-Grade 12
Carver Middle – Public, Grades 6-8
Christopher Columbus High School – Private, Grades: 9–12, All-Boys, Catholic
Coconut Grove Montessori School – Private, Preschool
Coral Gables Preparatory Academy – Public, Grades K-8
Coral Gables Preschool – Private, Preschool
Coral Gables Senior High School – Public, Magnet/IB Program, Grades 9-12
Florida Christian School – Private, Kindergarten through 12th grade, Christian School
Gables Montessori School – Private, Preschool
Granada Day School – Private, Preschool-Grade 5
International Studies Charter School – Public, Charter, Grades 6-12
Key Point Academy Coral Gables – Private, Preschool
KLA Schools of Coral Gables – Private, Preschool

La Petite Academy of Miami – Private, Preschool
La Salle High School – Private, Grades: 9–12, Catholic
Ransom Everglades – Private, Grades 6-12
Riviera Day School – Private, Preschool-Grade 5
Saint Brendan High School – Private, Grades: 9–12, Catholic
St. Philip’s Coral Gables – Private, Grades PK-5
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School – Private, Preschool-Grade 5
St. Thomas Episcopal – Private, Preschool-Grade 5
The Biltmore School – Private,12 months-8th grade, International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
The Growing Place – Private, Grades 1-5
Vanguard School of Coconut Grove – Private, Special Education for students with learning difficulties

Cutler Bay & Palmetto Bay

Alexander Montessori – Private, Preschool-Grade 5

Christ Fellowship Academy – Private, Preschool-Grade 5
Creative Child Learning Center – Private, Preschool
Cutler Ridge Christian Academy – Private, Preschool-Grade 12
JoyLand Early Learning Center – Private, Preschool
KLA Schools of Palmetto Bay – Private, Preschool
La Petite Academy – Private, Preschool
La Scuola – Private, Preschool
Old Cutler Academy – Private, Preschool
Palmer Trinity School – Private, Grades: 6th-12th, Co-Educational, Episcopal Day School
Palmetto Bay Preschool – Private, Preschool
Palmetto Community Covenant Preschool – Private, Preschool
Westminster Christian School – Private, Grades: Preschool-12th grade, College-Preparatory, Christian School

Doral

Downtown Doral Charter Upper School – Public, Charter, Grades 6-12
Kidzone Learning Center – Private, Preschool
KLA Schools of Doral – Private, Preschool
Loyola School – Private, Preschool-Grade 12
Play 2 Grow Doral – Private, Preschool
Renaissance Middle Charter School – Public, Charter, Grades 6-8
The Learning World Academy – Private, Preschool

Edgewater, Midtown, Design District

Centner Academy – Private, Grades K-12
Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH) – Public, Magnet, Grades 9-12
Metropolitan International School of Miami – Private, Preschool-Grade 12
The Cushman School – Private, Grades: Pre-K-12th, Co-Educational, College-Preparatory School
Young Women’s Preparatory Academy – Public, Magnet, Grades 6-12

Kendall

ABC Preschool & Child Care – Private, Preschool
Alper JCC Miami – Private, Preschool
Alpha School Miami – Private, Preschool-Grade 12
Cattoira Montessori School – Private, Preschool
Children’s First Preschool – Private, Preschool
Concordia Lutheran School – Private, Preschool
Early Start Learning Center – Private, Preschool
Future Leaders Academy of Kendall – Private, Preschool
Gulliver – Private, Preschool-Grade 12
Kendall Christian School – Private, Preschool-Grade 8
Killian Oaks Academy – Private, PreK-12
KLA Schools of West Kendall – Private, Preschool
McGlannon – Private, Preschool
Miami Killian Senior High School – Public, Grades 9-12
Montessori Learning Center – Private, Preschool
Terra Environmental Research Institute – Public, Magnet, Grades 9-12
The Learning Experience – Private, Preschool
Village Montessori – Killian Campus – Private, Preschool
Westbridge Academy – Private, Grades 1-6

Westwood Christian School – Private, Grades PreK2-High School
Young Prodigies Learning Center – Private, Preschool

Key Biscayne

Key Biscayne Community Church Day School – Private, Preschool
Key Biscayne Presbyterian School – Private, Preschool
Mast Academy – Public, Magnet, Grades 6-12
St. Agnes Academy – Private, Preschool-Grade 8
St. Christopher’s By-The-Sea – Private, Preschool-Grade 5

Miami Beach, North Miami Beach, Surfside

Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High Biscayne Bay – Public, Grades 9-12
Beth Moshe Congregation – Private, Preschool
Fisher Island Day School – Private, Preschool-Grade 8
Innovative School of Temple Beth Sholom – Private, Preschool-Grade 5

Kids Choice Learning Center Miami Beach – Private, Preschool
KLA Schools of North Bay Village – Private, Preschool
Lehrman Community Day School – Private, Preschool-Grade 5
Miami Beach Senior High School – Public, Grades 9-12
Montessori School Temple Beth Shmuel – Private, Preschool
St. Patrick Preschool – Private, Preschool
Temple Beth Sholom – Private, Preschool
The Montessori Academy at St. Johns – Private, Preschool

Miami Shores

Biscayne Park School & Early Learning Center – Private, Preschool
Doctors Charter School of Miami Shores – Public, Charter, Grades 6-12
Get Smart Kids Academy – Private, Preschool
Miami Country Day School – Private, Grades K-12
Miami Shores Community Church School – Private, Preschool
Miami Shores Presbyterian Church – Private, Preschool
Miami Shores Montessori School – Private, Preschool
Montessori School of North Miami – Private, Preschool
Ms. Claudia’s Village Academy – Private, Preschool

Pinecrest

Miami Palmetto Senior High School – Public, Highly Rated, Grades 9-12
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy – Private, Grades: 9–12, All-Girls, Catholic
Palmetto Elementary School – Public, PreK-5
Palmetto Middle School – Public, Grades 6-8
Rambam Day School – Private, Preschool-Grade 8
The Roig Academy – Private, Grades K-8

Miami-Dade Key Dates, 2026-27

First day of school: Thursday, August 13, 2026
Labor Day: Monday, September 7, 2026
Thanksgiving recess: November 23 to 27, 2026
Winter recess: December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027 (students return Monday, January 4)
MLK Day: Monday, January 18, 2027
Presidents Day: Monday, February 15, 2027
Spring recess: March 22 to 26, 2027
Memorial Day: Monday, May 31, 2027
Last day of school: Thursday, June 3, 2027

One more thing new-to-Miami families always miss: every Wednesday, elementary students in grades 2-5 and K-8 center students in grades 2-8 are released one hour early. Build it into your childcare plan now, not the second week of school.

These dates apply to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Private schools set their own calendars, so check directly with your school.

How Miami School Admissions Actually Work

Every school type in this guide has its own process and its own calendar. Here’s the short version.

Traditional Public Schools

Your child is automatically assigned to a school based on your home address. No application needed. If you want a different public school outside your boundary, that goes through the School Choice process, which follows the same timeline as magnet.

Magnet Programs

Magnet programs are free public schools with a specialized focus, whether that’s performing arts, marine science, international business, or medical sciences. Every student has to apply, even if the magnet school is the one you’re already zoned for. Applications go through the M-DCPS Parent Portal at dadeschools.net. Log in, then click the Admissions Application tile. The window typically opens October 1 and closes in mid-January for the following school year, so if you’re reading this in August 2026, you’re planning for 2027-28. Placement is a computerized random selection, not first-come first-served, so applying on day one doesn’t help your odds. The exception is visual and performing arts programs, which require an audition. Families are notified by mail after the selection process runs. If seats open up later, the district usually runs a second Open Seats window in the spring, and that one is first-come, first-served.

Charter Schools

Charters are tuition-free and publicly funded but run independently, so each one handles its own enrollment. You apply directly to the school, usually in winter or early spring. If more families apply than there are seats, state law requires a blind public lottery. Apply to more than one. Waitlists are long.

Private Schools

Most Miami private schools open applications in the fall for the following academic year, with deadlines clustered between December and February. Expect some combination of a tour, an application fee, student assessment or interview, and teacher recommendations. Popular preschools and K-12 feeder programs fill early, and a few maintain waitlists that stretch a year or more.

Tuition varies enormously, from a few thousand dollars a year to more than forty thousand at the top independent schools. Ask every school about financial aid and sibling discounts, because more of them offer it than advertise it.

A Realistic Timeline

September and October: tour schools, attend open houses, submit magnet applications
November through January: private school applications and assessments, magnet window closes mid-January
February and March: magnet results, private school decisions, charter lotteries
April and May: accept offers, submit deposits, apply for any open seats still available

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Join the Hive

This guide showcases just a fraction of Miami’s diverse educational landscape. Whether you’re looking for an innovative early learning center, a rigorous college-prep high school, or a magnet program focused on arts and sciences, there’s something here for every family.

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