CHECKED AGAINST THE ORIGINAL FILES
Every enrollment, capacity and spending number on this page comes from files published by the Florida Department of Education, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the county open-data hub or the U.S. Department of Education, and each was read a second time from those files by a separate program and matched (19,596 cells, 0 disagreements; 6,937 derived values recomputed; state and federal copies of the October count 98.9% identical). That guarantees the copying and arithmetic; what the numbers mean, and what they cannot show, is in §4 and on the methods page. check report · methods and limitations
Enrollment, building capacity and the 2026 closure lists
How Miami-Dade’s enrollment changed over ten years, how full the district’s buildings are, what small schools cost, and how well those numbers predicted the schools the board closed in June 2026 and flagged in August. Every figure comes from a published file and links to its definition. Numbers describe October of each school year unless stated.
Packet ceb90df13ffe · generated 2026-09-16 · checks 93ea735c8bb9 (PASS) · packet · script
§1 Headline takeaways
- Public-school enrollment in Miami-Dade fell from 357,288 students in October 2016 to 321,494 in October 2025 (−10.0%). District-run regular enrollment fell: 291,298 → 231,607 (−20.5%), while charter schools grew from 62,902 to 86,913 (+38.2%). Charters now hold 27.0% of students, up from 17.6%. These sector totals describe net changes, not individual student transfers. (Fig 1)
- The decline enters at kindergarten. Kindergarten enrollment fell from 24,065 to 18,718 over the same period; in 2025-26 the kindergarten cohort is 70% the size of the senior class (90% in 2016-17). Elementary schools take the loss first. (Fig 2)
- Since the last pre-pandemic count (2019-20), the 325 district-run schools open in both years lost 15.3% of their students; the typical school lost 16.7%. 30% of them lost a quarter or more; 57 grew. Continuing charters over the same years: +8.7%. (Fig 3)
- In 2024-25, the median district-run school used 66.7% of its permanent capacity. 67 of 316 schools (21%) were below half full and 15 below a third; 25 were at or over capacity. Summed across all district-run buildings, 69.7% of permanent seats were used. (Fig 4)
- Utilization and size predicted the district’s own lists. Among 260 district-run elementary, K-8 and middle schools, 14% appear on the June 2026 closure/consolidation action or the August 2026 review lists. Below 50% utilization the share is 43% (23 of 54) against 6% for the rest — 7.3× the rate (p < 0.0001). For enrollment under 400, the corresponding rates are: 39% vs 4% (9.3×). Below one-third utilization, 7 of 12 schools are on a list. (Fig 5)
- Small schools cost more per student. In 2024-25, the 26 district-run elementary schools under 300 students spent a median $16,893 per pupil at the school level, against $14,051 at elementary schools of 500–749 students. Summing each small school’s spending above that median across its own students comes to $20,484,039 a year for their 6,103 students ($3,356 per student); the simpler reading, the gap between the two medians times the students, gives $17,344,726, the difference being the few very small schools that spend far above the median. These are descriptive benchmark gaps; neither identifies fixed costs, avoidable spending or closure savings. (Fig 6)
- The board acted on 9 schools for 2026-27 and flagged 27 more. 5 closures and 4 consolidations were approved on June 17, 2026; on August 25 the district named 12 schools as “reassessed” and 15as “under review”; the new superintendent paused that process on September 2 with a decision due in December. §3 lists every school with its enrollment and utilization.
§2 Figures
1. Students in Miami-Dade public schools by sector, October 2016 to October 2025
One line per sector. District-run schools (blue) lose students every year but one; charters (orange) gain. The hatched band is the pandemic year, when October counts were unusually far from first-day counts.
fldoe_membership_by_school_grade_*). Sectors from the state Master School ID file: district-run = K-12 general education and not a charter; charter = any charter status; other = alternative, special-education centers, virtual, juvenile-justice, adult and technical colleges. 519 schools reported in 2025-26.2. Students per grade, all Miami-Dade public schools, in four years
Each line is one October. Read left to right: the 2025-26 line (solid) sits far below the 2016-17 line in the early grades and close to it in high school — the smaller cohorts entering now have not yet reached grade 9.
Bars count schools by how much their October enrollment changed. Red bars are losses of a quarter or more. The purple line is the median school.
4. Utilization of permanent capacity, district-run schools, 2024-25
Bars count schools by October headcount as a share of permanent FISH capacity. Red bars are below half full. Dashed lines mark 50% (half full, the cut used in the lift table of §3; the district’s August 2026 “reassessed” letters did not follow a published utilization rule, and 4 of the 12 reassessed schools are at or above it) and 80% (the district’s 2031 target).
fldoe_fish_los_dade_2024-25), enrollment from Fig 1’s file. n = 316 district-run schools with both. The state’s own printed utilization uses a funding FTE and capacity including relocatables; on that measure 74 schools are below 50% (correlation with this measure 0.926). Definitions on the methods page.Each bar is the share of schools in that utilization range that the board closed or consolidated for 2026-27 or that the district named in its August 2026 letters. The dashed line is the share across all 260 schools. Risk falls steeply as buildings fill.
6. School-level spending per pupil against enrollment, district-run schools, 2024-25
One dot per school; enrollment on a log scale. Spending per student rises as schools get smaller. Schools on a 2026 list are circled in red — most sit in the small, expensive corner.
§3 Tables
| Year | District-run schools | Charter schools | Alternative, special, virtual, adult | All | Charter share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 291,298 (329) | 62,902 (127) | 3,088 (30) | 357,288 | 17.6% |
| 2017-18 | 286,386 (330) | 65,289 (128) | 3,132 (30) | 354,807 | 18.4% |
| 2018-19 | 278,554 (332) | 68,482 (133) | 3,406 (35) | 350,442 | 19.5% |
| 2019-20 | 273,189 (330) | 71,153 (138) | 2,949 (32) | 347,291 | 20.5% |
| 2020-21 | 257,679 (333) | 74,560 (136) | 2,679 (30) | 334,918 | 22.3% |
| 2021-22 | 246,305 (333) | 77,671 (144) | 5,562 (27) | 329,538 | 23.6% |
| 2022-23 | 249,642 (332) | 82,623 (155) | 3,633 (28) | 335,898 | 24.6% |
| 2023-24 | 248,892 (332) | 85,156 (156) | 3,648 (30) | 337,696 | 25.2% |
| 2024-25 | 245,903 (331) | 86,545 (160) | 3,379 (28) | 335,827 | 25.8% |
| 2025-26 | 231,607 (330) | 86,913 (162) | 2,974 (27) | 321,494 | 27.0% |
| Level | Schools | 2019-20 | 2025-26 | Change | Median school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 158 | 86,152 | 71,319 | −17.2% | −17.8% |
| K-8 | 58 | 54,975 | 45,496 | −17.2% | −16.8% |
| Middle | 44 | 38,079 | 29,196 | −23.3% | −24.5% |
| High | 53 | 82,184 | 74,795 | −9.0% | −6.6% |
| 6-12 | 5 | 4,631 | 4,287 | −7.4% | −21.0% |
| K-12 | 6 | 3,703 | 3,470 | −6.3% | −11.4% |
| Level | Schools | Median | Below 50% | At or over 100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 157 | 65.9% | 31 | 6 |
| K-8 | 58 | 75.8% | 9 | 5 |
| Middle | 45 | 56.0% | 14 | 4 |
| High | 47 | 72.5% | 12 | 8 |
| 6-12 | 5 | 92.2% | 1 | 1 |
| K-12 | 3 | 57.0% | 0 | 1 |
| Cut | Below: flagged / n | Share | At or above: flagged / n | Share | Lift | Fisher exact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| utilization (headcount ÷ permanent) < 33% | 7 / 12 | 58% | 28 / 248 | 11% | 5.2× | p = 0.0002 |
| utilization < 50% | 23 / 54 | 43% | 12 / 206 | 6% | 7.3× | p < 0.0001 |
| utilization < 67% | 33 / 134 | 25% | 2 / 126 | 2% | 15.5× | p < 0.0001 |
| enrollment < 300 | 16 / 27 | 59% | 19 / 233 | 8% | 7.3× | p < 0.0001 |
| enrollment < 400 | 27 / 69 | 39% | 8 / 191 | 4% | 9.3× | p < 0.0001 |
| enrollment < 500 | 31 / 111 | 28% | 4 / 149 | 3% | 10.4× | p < 0.0001 |
| utilization < 50% AND enrollment < 400 | 18 / 30 | 60% | 17 / 230 | 7% | 8.1× | p < 0.0001 |
| Size | Elementary (n) | K-8 (n) | Middle (n) | High (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 300 | $16,893 (26) | $17,084 (1) | — | $20,209 (2) |
| 300–499 | $15,009 (64) | $14,428 (8) | $14,135 (12) | $11,976 (4) |
| 500–749 | $14,051 (47) | $13,582 (14) | $11,756 (18) | $14,522 (4) |
| 750–999 | $12,018 (16) | $12,485 (18) | $10,316 (9) | $13,955 (3) |
| 1,000+ | $11,895 (4) | $11,719 (17) | $9,652 (6) | $10,585 (34) |
| Size | Schools | Median students per teacher |
|---|---|---|
| < 300 | 36 | 17.0 |
| 300–499 | 90 | 15.8 |
| 500–749 | 84 | 16.5 |
| 750–999 | 51 | 16.8 |
| 1,000+ | 67 | 21.1 |
| School | Level | Enrollment 2024-25 | Enrollment 2025-26 | Permanent capacity | Utilization | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MYRTLE GROVE ELEMENTARY | Elementary | 154 | 160 | 735 | 21.0% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| PHYLLIS WHEATLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 145 | 146 | 620 | 23.4% | Closed |
| ROBERT RUSSA MOTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 168 | 128 | 715 | 23.5% | Closed |
| PINE VILLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 219 | 243 | 834 | 26.3% | Consolidated into another school |
| RICHMOND HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL | Middle | 345 | 281 | 1,154 | 29.9% | Consolidated into another school |
| RAINBOW PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 172 | 147 | 542 | 31.7% | Closed |
| HAMMOCKS MIDDLE SCHOOL | Middle | 486 | 458 | 1,501 | 32.4% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| LORAH PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 207 | 176 | 564 | 36.7% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| PARKWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 178 | 150 | 478 | 37.2% | Closed |
| BRENTWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 330 | 303 | 874 | 37.8% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| CAROL CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL | Middle | 411 | 387 | 1,060 | 38.8% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| ORCHARD VILLA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 283 | 273 | 723 | 39.1% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| NORTH DADE MIDDLE SCHOOL | Middle | 327 | 221 | 797 | 41.0% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| LILLIE C. EVANS K-8 CENTER | K-8 | 269 | 307 | 648 | 41.5% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS ELEM | Elementary | 554 | 486 | 1,321 | 41.9% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| MANDARIN LAKES K-8 ACADEMY | K-8 | 643 | 557 | 1,508 | 42.6% | Closed |
| GLORIA FLOYD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 344 | 357 | 772 | 44.6% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| RIVIERA MIDDLE SCHOOL | Middle | 479 | 400 | 1,064 | 45.0% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| TROPICAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 367 | 370 | 802 | 45.8% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| LENORA BRAYNON SMITH ELEMENTARY | Elementary | 353 | 294 | 754 | 46.8% | Consolidated into another school |
| PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR K-8 CENTER | Elementary | 373 | 311 | 787 | 47.4% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| KENDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 348 | 310 | 724 | 48.1% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| NORTH COUNTY K-8 CENTER | K-8 | 319 | 315 | 651 | 49.0% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| GOLDEN GLADES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 210 | 169 | 420 | 50.0% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| EMERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 289 | 263 | 576 | 50.2% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| MIAMI SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL | Middle | 666 | 583 | 1,306 | 51.0% | Consolidated into another school |
| NATURAL BRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 349 | 315 | 668 | 52.2% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| GREENGLADE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 293 | 250 | 560 | 52.3% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| LAKE STEVENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 255 | 214 | 476 | 53.6% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| OLYMPIA HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 318 | 287 | 580 | 54.8% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| VILLAGE GREEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 264 | 201 | 460 | 57.4% | Reassessed (Aug 2026 letters) |
| LUDLAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 260 | 227 | 446 | 58.3% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| SOUTH MIAMI HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY | Elementary | 436 | 342 | 692 | 63.0% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| LAMAR LOUISE CURRY MIDDLE SCHOOL | Middle | 718 | 556 | 1,060 | 67.7% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
| KELSEY L. PHARR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Elementary | 294 | 258 | 388 | 75.8% | Under review (Aug 2026 letters) |
Table 8. Board actions on record (every row cites its document on the school’s page)
§4 What these numbers cannot show
- Where the students went. The state files count who is enrolled each October by grade; they do not say whether a school’s loss went to a charter, a private school on a state scholarship, another county, or another country. The district’s budget puts scholarship students in the county at roughly a quarter of its own enrollment, but no per-school attribution is possible from public data.
- Three utilizations. The figures here divide an October headcount by permanent capacity. The state’s own report divides a funding FTE by capacity that includes portable classrooms, and prints lower numbers for the same building; the district’s letters cite “state calculations”. The methods page shows all three for any school.
- 2025-26 capacity is carried forward from the 2024-25 state report, which is the latest published; buildings that gained or lost stations since are misstated until the next report.
- Charter buildings are not in the state inventory, so utilization is a district-run measure only; charter enrollment is complete.
- The lists are inputs, not outcomes. Being “reassessed” or “under review” is a district designation from August 2026, paused a week later; the lift figures measure how well size and utilization line up with the district’s own selection, not whether a school will close.
- Per-pupil spending is the state’s allocation with the state’s denominator; it includes some costs that do not disappear when a school closes.
§5 Sources and checks
Every value on this page was computed by one script from served cells that passed the four checks (report; methodology). Files used, with their hashes, are listed in the packet’s meta.sources; the registry with URLs is sources.yaml. The plan this page implements: 06_enrollment_capacity_closures.md.
Fetched sources: 143 files · 16 membership years · 3 FISH reports · 4 spending files.