Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

Summary:

Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy is a public elementary school located in Homestead, Florida, serving grades PK-8 with a student population of 781. While part of the Miami-Dade school district, which is ranked 24th out of 68 districts in Florida, Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy faces significant challenges compared to its peers.

The school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 33.8% to 58.7% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. Additionally, Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy's test scores are consistently lower than the Miami-Dade district and Florida state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 23% of 3rd graders were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 56% in Miami-Dade and 55% statewide. The school also has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 80.41% to 93.66%, which is significantly higher than nearby schools like The Charter School At Waterstone, Air Base K-8 Center For International Education, and Summerville Advantage Academy.

Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Florida elementary schools, with a ranking between 1783 and 2211 out of around 2,000-2,250 schools over the past decade. It has never received a rating higher than 1 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. These challenges suggest that Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy could benefit from targeted interventions and support to address the root causes of its low performance, such as improving attendance, providing additional academic support and resources for students, and exploring best practices from higher-performing nearby schools.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

 12225 SW 280th St
       Homestead, FL  33032


(305) 257-0377

District: Miami-Dade

SchoolDigger Rank:
2096th of 2,256 Florida Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $12,494 Help


Students who attend Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy usually attend:

High:    Homestead Senior High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.6 Help
Number of students:  781

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
51.5%
African American:
45.8%
White:
2.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  80.4% Help


 See top rated Florida elementary schools

 Compare Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy ranks worse than 92.9% of elementary schools in Florida. It also ranks 269th among 281 ranked elementary schools in the Miami-Dade School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.58. (See more...)
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Compare Details Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy ranks worse than 79.6% of middle schools in Florida. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.44. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (51.5%), African American (45.8%), White (2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 80.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy is 16.6. 151 elementary schools in the Miami-Dade School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy employs 47 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy is $12,494. 158 elementary schools in the Miami-Dade School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.
SchoolDigger ranks Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy 952nd of 1196 Florida public middle schools. (See Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy in the ranking list.)

Miami-Dade:

SchoolDigger ranks Miami-Dade 24th of 68 Florida school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy?

Rank History for Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools FL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 13.33 1756th 1919 8.5%
2011 13.73 1803rd 1985 9.2%
2012 16.61 1735th 1984 12.6%
2013 17.58 1783rd 2029 12.1%
2014 12.58 1914th 2064 7.3%
2016 7.74 2009th 2087 3.7%
2017 9.16 2017th 2112 4.5%
2018 14.32 1910th 2118 9.8%
2019 12.58 2000th 2182 8.3%
2021 5.04 2211th 2247 1.6%
2022 7.93 2134th 2219 3.8%
2023 15.06 2025th 2240 9.6%
2024 12.58 2096th 2256 7.1%
See the entire list of Florida Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Florida Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools FL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 18.84 695th 839 17.2%
2011 12.71 779th 891 12.6%
2012 21.11 723rd 897 19.4%
2013 17.24 807th 956 15.6%
2014 9.99 902nd 999 9.7%
2016 21.66 803rd 997 19.5%
2017 26.05 773rd 1031 25.0%
2018 19.49 865th 1035 16.4%
2019 18.30 928th 1099 15.6%
2021 17.21 968th 1136 14.8%
2022 21.80 935th 1148 18.6%
2023 30.51 839th 1177 28.7%
2024 23.44 952nd 1196 20.4%
See the entire list of Florida Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Florida Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    









Data source: Florida Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)
33%

0%

33%

0%

33%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Thursday, June 1, 2017

Open Quote My daughter has been going there for 4 years, 2 years ago the school principal was changed and some other staff member , I see differences after that, for better. Before never honnor roll student was recognized only a diploma , now have ceremony to recognize the efforts the student do, and motivate them to be better , and olso since last years started a gifted class, for student who qualify. I'm so proud my daughter is part of this class, As a parent I reconize that the school is not the only responsable for education , we need to educate at home first, but most of the children unfortunately living in dysfunctional home with parents who does'nt care their education . who pay for those student behavior? school, teachers. NO, To be able to improve the school we need to be better as a parents, ... my opinion about the school es good , but if I could change something, I will separate those studient who have majors behavior problems from the others and give them special attention, also separate by academy group, advance class, standars class, given equal oportunity to learn to everybody, because when are all toguether, the teacher need to dedicate more time to the student who is behind and less time to the others. I think no student whants to stay behind others. Close Quote


by a teacher
Friday, February 10, 2017

Open Quote The teacher that posted the last comment is a racist who doesn't want to teach the students in the school. SHE STATED it in her post. She is miserable and should quit the teaching profession. You are a sad case and should be banned from schools and the teaching profession. I am ashamed to call you a colleague. I am a teacher here and clearly you are the problem because I do not see what you mentioned in your post. Go learn classroom management strategies and empathy for children. You are not anonymous. Close Quote


by a teacher
Sunday, January 8, 2017

Open Quote As a teacher at Mandarin Lakes, I can tell you the reality of what it is like at the school. Most of the students have severe behavior problems and emotional issues. However, these students are kept in the general classroom setting with students who do not have these issues. As you can imagine, this creates a lot of issues of violence, bullying, aggression, defiance, disrespect, and overall chaos. The administration does not understand the severity of this issue, or if they do, they definitely do not do enough to REMOVE or SOLVE the problems. The administration simply pushes the issue aside or covers it up stating that the "students are misunderstood." The school environment is terrible. There are fights EVERY DAY. You walk down the hallway, you hear the students cussing at each other, pushing/hitting each other, talking back to the teachers, skipping class, etc. The academic progress of the students is hindered by the tremendous amount of behavior issues that occur on a daily basis. Yet, the data and scores are all the administration cares about. How can children learn and demonstrate progress when there are DISRUPTIONS, AGGRESSION, and DEFIANCE in the classroom? The whole school environment is backwards and is quickly falling apart. The student demographics and population is tough. These students come from broken homes, poor homes, violent homes, unsafe homes, no-parent homes, and some of them have no homes at all. Instead of receiving therapy for the ISSUES that they have, they are placed in the classroom and expected to blend in and work well with others. THEY LASH OUT. THEY YELL AT OTHERS. THEY HIT OTHERS. THEY SKIP CLASS. THEY TALK BACK TO ADULTS. They do all this because they are not receiving the help they need, and everyone else has to suffer because of this. Do yourself and your family a favor, do not send your child to this school. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2009 45 431 5 657 0 n/a n/a 23 1161
2010 38 483 2 850 0 n/a n/a 5 1378
2011 47 513 5 827 0 0 13 0 1405
2012 48 496 8 826 0 0 17 0 1395
2013 37 396 3 673 0 0 13 0 1122
2014 40 436 3 624 1 0 17 0 1121
2015 36 441 3 599 1 0 11 0 1091
2016 36 380 2 593 1 0 17 0 1029
2017 32 373 5 544 1 0 12 0 967
2018 28 384 4 556 1 0 12 0 985
2019 27 377 3 484 2 1 16 0 910
2020 23 347 5 471 1 1 9 0 857
2021 21 291 2 421 1 2 3 0 741
2022 19 328 8 396 1 0 1 0 753
2023 16 358 1 402 1 1 2 0 781

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2009 1161 70.3 16.6 92.1
2010 1378 90.0 15.3 93.2
2011 1405 92.0 15.2 91.9
2012 1395 96.0 14.5 92.9
2013 1122 83.0 13.5 92.9
2014 1121 75.0 14.9 91.8
2015 1091 73.0 14.9 92
2016 1029 70.0 14.7 92.5
2017 967 69.0 14.0 95.8
2018 985 66.0 14.9 91.1
2019 910 57.0 15.9 92.4
2020 857 54.0 15.8 92.4
2021 741 52.0 14.2 93.7
2022 753 49.0 15.3 91.5
2023 781 47.0 16.6 80.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2009 1161 70.3 16.6 92.1
2010 1378 90.0 15.3 93.2
2011 1405 92.0 15.2 91.9
2012 1395 96.0 14.5 92.9
2013 1122 83.0 13.5 92.9
2014 1121 75.0 14.9 91.8
2015 1091 73.0 14.9 92
2016 1029 70.0 14.7 92.5
2017 967 69.0 14.0 95.8
2018 985 66.0 14.9 91.1
2019 910 57.0 15.9 92.4
2020 857 54.0 15.8 92.4
2021 741 52.0 14.2 93.7
2022 753 49.0 15.3 91.5
2023 781 47.0 16.6 80.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2018 $1,221 (13.6%) $7,734 (86.4%) $8,955
2019 $1,066 (12.4%) $7,546 (87.6%) $8,611
2020 $1,206 (12.3%) $8,616 (87.7%) $9,822
2021 $2,914 (23.4%) $9,541 (76.6%) $12,453
2022 $3,362 (27.0%) $9,090 (73.0%) $12,451
2023 $3,152 (25.2%) $9,341 (74.8%) $12,494

Data source: Florida Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 2000th of 2182 Elementary schoolsRanks 2025th of 2240 Elementary schools
 1.3%
Ranks 928th of 1099 Middle schoolsRanks 839th of 1177 Middle schools
 13.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)2227
 5%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Miami-Dade)6056
 4%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Florida)5853
 5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)5124
 27%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Miami-Dade)6760
 7%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Florida)6258
 4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)3838
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Miami-Dade)6462
 2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)5857
 1%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)2525
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Miami-Dade)6059
 1%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)5655
 1%
5th Grade Science (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)3330
 3%
   5th Grade Science (Miami-Dade)5350
 3%
   5th Grade Science (Florida)5351
 2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)3124
 7%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Miami-Dade)5855
 3%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)5452
 2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)1718
 1%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Miami-Dade)5851
 7%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Florida)5549
 6%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)3629
 7%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Miami-Dade)5653
 3%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)5248
 4%
7th Grade Mathematics (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)4330
 13%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Miami-Dade)5348
 5%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Florida)5446
 8%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)3034
 4%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Miami-Dade)6054
 6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Florida)5649
 7%
8th Grade Mathematics (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)733
 26%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Miami-Dade)4039
 1%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Florida)4642
 4%
8th Grade Science (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)3045
 15%
   8th Grade Science (Miami-Dade)4340
 3%
   8th Grade Science (Florida)4844
 4%
End of Course Civics (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)6654
 12%
   End of Course Civics (Miami-Dade)7368
 5%
   End of Course Civics (Florida)7166
 5%
End of Course Algebra 1 (Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy)7979
   End of Course Algebra 1 (Miami-Dade)6357
 6%
   End of Course Algebra 1 (Florida)6254
 8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students910781
 14.2%
African American377358
 5%
American Indian21
 50%
Asian31
 66.7%
Hispanic484402
 16.9%
Pacific Islander11
White2716
 40.7%
Two or More Races162
 87.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients92.4%80.4%
 12%


Schools Near Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy









Frequently Asked Questions about Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy

Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy ranks in the bottom 7.1% of Florida elementary schools.

Students at Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy are 51% Hispanic, 46% African American, 2% White.

Students who attend Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Homestead Senior High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 781 students attended Mandarin Lakes K-8 Academy.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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