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Back To School: Miami's Top-Rated & Most Improved Public High Schools

MIAMI (Hoodline) - How strong are the public high schools in Miami?

With a fresh school year around the corner, we analyzed newly released data from Niche.com, which incorporates comprehensive report cards, rankings and reviews to help you choose the right school, to identify those schools that made the biggest strides last year, as well as those that top the city's best public high school rankings.

John A. Ferguson Senior High School's overall rating improved the most among its peers in Miami, rising from a B to a B+, according to data from Niche.

For the 2019-2020 school year, the school, located at 15900 S.W. 56th St., enrolls 4,304 students. John A. Ferguson Senior High School serves a somewhat diverse population, with 89% of students identifying as Hispanic. Niche gave the school B+'s across the board for administration, academics and clubs and activities.

The overall ranking comes from Niche's proprietary algorithms. A school's ranking might change due to many factors, including the relative rankings of similar schools and whether a school gained or lost peers due to openings or closings. Other numbers come from current public data from the U.S. government.

Academically, 52% of John A. Ferguson's students scored as proficient or above in math, and 62% did so in reading. That's compared to city averages of 38% in math and 45% in reading. The school's improved rating is notable since it serves a less affluent population, with 65% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

It's not the only school that's climbed Niche's rankings this year. G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School saw its overall rating increase from a B- to a B. The school is located at 3601 S.W. 147th Ave. and is a bit smaller, currently serving 3,476 students, of whom 95% identify as Hispanic.

Niche gave G. Holmes Braddock mixed grades: B on an A-D scale for academics, B+ for administration and B for clubs and activities. G. Holmes Braddock's latest math proficiency was at 38%, and reading proficiency was 53%. The school also serves a less affluent population, with 76% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Miami Senior High School also saw improvement in its overall rating, from a B- to a B. The school is located at 2450 S.W. First St. and has 2,985 students currently enrolled, of whom 94% identify as Hispanic.

Niche gave Miami Senior High School mixed grades — B- on an A-D scale for academics, A for administration and A for clubs and activities. Miami Senior High School's latest math proficiency was at 37%, and reading proficiency was 40%.

While some public high schools are moving up the ranks, others are consistently top-rated overall, including:

This story was created automatically using data from Niche.com, then reviewed by an editor before publication. Click here for more about how and why Hoodline is automating local news. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.

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