Three public schools in Miami-Dade's North Region earned A grades from the state for the first time, according to the MDCPS North Region Office, a milestone for families in communities surrounding Aventura.

Robert B. Ingram Elementary, North Dade Middle and North Miami Beach Senior all received A ratings in the Florida Department of Education's 2026 school accountability results, released Wednesday. The North Region Office, which supports 103 schools across the northern portion of the county, announced the achievement on its official X account that day.

The three schools sit within the same regional network that serves students zoned near Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach and Golden Beach.

District extends A-grade streak to seven years

Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a whole earned an A district grade for the seventh consecutive year, according to CBS News Miami. Superintendent Jose Dotres held a news conference July 1 to mark the rating and said the district must remain competitive as it faces enrollment pressure.

That pressure is real. Miami-Dade lost 13,000 students during the 2025-26 school year and closed nine schools, with more closures expected ahead of 2026-27, according to CBS News Miami. School Board Chair Mari Rojas also spoke at the July 1 conference.

Statewide grades rise, but critics question the bar

Across Florida, 76% of schools earned an A or B grade in 2025-26, a five-percentage-point jump from the prior year, according to data cited by the Foundation for Florida's Future on Monday. Only 31 schools statewide received a D or F.

But the numbers come with a caveat. Four in 10 Florida students in grades three through 10 did not meet grade-level expectations in English language arts or math, according to the same state data. Patricia Levesque, executive director of the Foundation for Florida's Future, said in a statement Monday that the high percentage of A and B schools signals "the bar is set too low" and called on state leaders to recalibrate.

Grading thresholds lower than typical report cards

Florida's grading scale works differently than a student's report card. For elementary schools, a school needs 62% of possible points to earn an A, not 90%. For middle schools, the A threshold is 64%. A bill filed in Tallahassee, HB 1483, would raise those thresholds incrementally starting in the 2026-27 school year if enacted.

What Aventura-area families should know

Miami-Dade's A rating covers the entire district, including campuses serving Aventura-area students. Individual school grades are available in the Florida DOE's 2026 School Grades file at fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/school-grades/.

Families heading into the 2026-27 school year can use that portal to compare component scores for student performance, graduation rates and success in accelerated coursework.