Miami-Dade's Attendance Boundary Committee on Tuesday, Aug. 25, released a list of 27 campuses under review or reassessment, part of a district-wide consolidation push driven by a loss of nearly 19,000 students since last spring.
No Aventura schools are on the list. But the enrollment decline puts fiscal pressure on the district overall. Both the Aventura City of Excellence School and Don Soffer Aventura High School receive public funding through the Florida Education Finance Program, or FEFP, which is based largely on enrollment.
The committee's document splits the 27 campuses into two tiers: 12 labeled "reassessed," meaning a decision has already been made to align them with the district's long-term plan, and 15 labeled "under review." The "under review" designation does not automatically mean closure. All 12 reassessed schools have building utilization rates at or below 50%, according to the Miami Herald. Myrtle Grove Elementary in Miami Gardens sits at just 19%.
The numbers behind the list are stark. District data shared with WLRN showed 300,509 registered K-12 students on the first day of school, Thursday, Aug. 13. Last spring, the Florida Department of Education counted 319,419. That is a gap of 18,910.
District spokesperson Elmo Lugo said the review is meant to protect fiscal health "while redirecting every possible dollar straight into classroom instruction, teacher compensation, and robust student services."
The nine schools the board closed, consolidated or repurposed this summer, including Miami Springs Middle and Richmond Heights Middle, had 200 students or fewer. Both were combined with nearby schools. Incoming Superintendent Rafael Villalobos signaled in a Miami Herald interview published Aug. 13 that the next wave will reach larger buildings, saying the district must consolidate campuses running at a fraction of capacity so students gain access to full-time elective teachers and better programming.
"It's never easy because, at the end of the day, these are schools that have been in our communities for years and years and years," Villalobos told the Herald in that Aug. 13 interview.
What it means for Aventura families
Don Soffer Aventura High School's 2025-26 budget projects 800 students and about $6.48 million in operating FEFP revenue, or about $8,094 per student, including transportation reimbursement. ACES also receives public funding based on student enrollment.
Fewer Miami-Dade Public Schools students reduce the district's total state funding. However, charter-school FEFP funding is calculated using enrollment and state funding formulas. Districtwide enrollment loss alone does not prove that the per-student funding rate at Aventura charter schools will decline.
"It's not students leaving us, but students not coming in," Superintendent Jose Dotres told WSVN on Aug. 5, citing declining birth rates, fewer newcomer families and residents priced out of Miami-Dade. Board member Steve Gallon III put it more bluntly in the same report: "You're talking about young families not coming here, and those who are here can't afford to stay here."
What's next
The committee has not recommended closure for all 27 campuses. Schools labeled "under review" may remain unchanged, receive additional support or programming, stay under review, or become part of a future recommendation after additional review and public process. No vote date has been announced, and the district has not published a timeline for community input sessions or final board action.
