Find the best schools in Westchester
Even though Westchester is an unincorporated community, you can still find a great place for your child’s education. However, it can be a hassle. That’s why we did the work for you. We did the research and found the best schools in Westchester from the compiled ratings and inputs of compiled ratings of greatschools.org, niche.com, and the Florida Department of Education’s school accountability report.
Westchester isn’t a defined city, so it doesn’t have defined boundaries for schools. However, the schools that serve the Westchester area are schools that operate within these listed zip codes: 33144, 33174, 33165, and 33155. However, not all of these zip codes are equally spaced throughout the Westchester area.
The 33165 and 33155 zip codes make up the bulk of Westchester’s land area, so they’re the best areas to look for schools in Westchester. However, depending on the part of Westchester you live in, it may be better to look for schools in one of the other zip codes or just outside the bounds of Westchester. We looked through each zip code to find the best schools that are in Westchester or just outside of its boundaries.
To discover other schools in different zip codes throughout Westchester. Check out this zip code map, and then go to greatschools.org, type in your desired zip code, and search through the results.
The school network in the Westchester area consists primarily of Miami-Dade County public district schools, a series of Miami-Dade County public charter schools, and a few private schools. All schools listed are Miami-Dade County public schools.
The Best Elementary Schools In Miami Gardens
As far as elementary schools, Miami Gardens actually doesn’t do too bad. The top recommended elementary schools in Miami Gardens are North Dade Center for Modern Language, Miami Gardens Elementary School, and Crestview Elementary School. Greatschools.org rates the North Dade Center a 9/10, Miami Gardens Elementary an 8/10, and Crestview Elementary a 7/10. And all of these schools received an “A” from the FDOE’s school accountability report.
In terms of academic performance, North Dade Center performs the other two schools. However, that is to be expected from its greatschools.org rating and from the fact that students must apply and be selected to attend this school. North Dade Center is also special in that its curriculum focuses on implementing second language education in French or Spanish for your child.
North Dade Center exceeded the state standards in standardized testing in every subject, scoring a 78% proficiency in math, an 86% proficiency in English, and a 63% proficiency in science. Meanwhile Miami Gardens Elementary still exceeded the state standards in standardized testing for every subject, but its scores are a lot closer to the benchmark than North Dade Center’s. Miami Gardens Elementary scored a 70% proficiency in math, a 56% proficiency in English, and a 54% proficiency in science. And Crestview Elementary fell behind the state standards in standardized testing in English and science, a 68% proficiency in math, a 54% proficiency in English, and a 39% proficiency in science.
All of these schools either receive pretty good reviews, but some of these schools don’t have enough reviews to offer a comprehensive view of the school, so I recommend reading the reviews that are available on greatschools.org and checking out each school’s individual website to find out some more information.
However, one Miami Gardens Elementary parent did say, “My son started at this school when he was 4, pre k. I saw him change from being my baby boy and needing me to help him with his homework, to working independently. He still needs my help from time to time, my point is the teachers are great role models. I have much respect for them and what they are striving to do when it comes to our children.”
Remember, if you’re unsatisfied with any of these elementary schools, you can always check out some of the other elementary schools that are listed in our Pembroke Pines and Miramar city guides.
The Best Middle Schools In Miami Gardens
To start off, we do not recommend any of the middle schools located in Miami Gardens. However, we do recommend the Somerset Academy Middle (Miramar K-8), Glades Middle School located in Miramar, and the Pembroke Pines Charter Middle School located in Pembroke Pines.
Greatschools.org rates Somerset Academy Middle a 10/10, Pembroke Pines Charter Middle a 9/10, and Glades Middle a 7/10. And all of these schools also receive an “A” from the FDOE’s school accountability report.
Before diving into each school’s academic performance, note that both Somerset Academy Middle and Pembroke Pines Charter Middle are a part of Broward County’s public charter school system, so students have to apply and be selected to attend these schools. Whereas, this is not the case for Glades Middle.
In terms of academic performance, Somerset Academy Middle takes the cake, scoring a 100% proficiency in math, a 100% proficiency in English, and an 89% proficiency in science—in short, absolutely amazing. Pembroke Pines Charter Middle follows closely behind with a 78% proficiency in math, an 84% proficiency in English, and an 83% proficiency in science. And then comes Glades Middle, scoring a 62% proficiency in math, a 66% proficiency in English, and a 54% proficiency in science. However, note that Glades Middle still exceeds the state standards for standardized testing in every one of these subjects.
Somerset Academy Middle doesn’t have a review or parent testimony listed on greatschools.org, and the other schools receive mixed reviews, so it’s worth checking out each school’s website and reading the reviews that are present on greatschools.org.
However, one Glades Middle parent did say, “Middle school is a rough time in anyone's life. Coming from the nurturing environment of elementary school to six classes with teachers, students, schedules, activities, etc. is daunting even for the most well-adjusted child. Glades Middle has made this difficult transition a very smooth one for my son. You hear horror stories in middle school, don't let those stories sway you from coming to Glades.”
Remember you can always explore more middle schools in our Pembroke Pines and Miramar guides if you’re unsatisfied with these options.
The Best High Schools In Miami Gardens
Just like with middle schools, we don’t recommend any of the high schools in Miami Gardens. However, we do recommend Everglades High School located in Miramar and both Pembroke Pines Charter High School and Somerset Charter High School located in Pembroke Pines.
Greatschools.org rates Pembroke Pines Charter High a 9/10, Somerset Academy Charter High an 8/10, and Everglades High a 6/10. However, keep in mind that all of these schools received an “A” from the FDOE’s school accountability report.
Following the same trend as with middle schools, both Pembroke Pines Charter High and Somerset Charter High are a part of Broward County’s public charter school system, so students must apply and be selected to attend either of these schools. This is not the case with Everglades High.
As far as academic performance goes, Pembroke Pines Charter High does the best, scoring an 84% proficiency in algebra, a 76% proficiency in geometry, and an 88% proficiency in biology. Somerset Academy follows behind with a 73% proficiency in algebra, a 70% proficiency in Geometry, and an 85% proficiency in biology. And finally, there’s Everglades High with an 81% proficiency in United States history, a 56% proficiency in geometry, and a 71% proficiency in biology.
However, keep in mind a couple things when you’re looking at these scores. First, consider that all these schools have different scores posted in different subjects, so the comparison is not standard. And secondly, all of these schools exceeded the state standards for standardized testing in every subject except Everglades High which fell one point below the state benchmark in geometry.
In addition, all of these schools earned the College Success Award for their efforts in preparing students for college and later careers in 2019 and 2020.
In terms of reviews and parent testimonials, none of these schools receive great reviews, so it’s worth reading them for yourself at greatschools.org and checking out each school’s website.
But an Everglades High parent did say, “My son has had an amazing experience here. He has become a leader and is well on his way to receiving top college offers next year in his senior year.”
Remember you can always check out other high schools in the Pembroke and Miramar areas if you’re unsatisfied with these options. Pembroke Pines is especially renowned for its public charter high schools and their commitment to academic excellence.
For more information about each of these schools’ COVID-19 protocols, check out the Miami-Dade County public school website and Broward County public school website. And to see the criteria for Florida Department of Education ratings, go to their website. Note that all quotes listed above come from parent reviews at greatschool.org.
