For those of you who live in Miami. What is the best public schools or district that is closest to Downtown (or are there any - ie do you have to go private)?

Also, how long of drive is it from Key Biscane to downtown during rush hour?

I grew up in NW Dade county. I used to work on Virginia Key (just before Key Biscayne). My mother works for the public school system. Hope my thoughts will help.

Here are a couple of rankings:

http://www.psk12.com/rating/USthreeR...year_2002.html

http://miami.about.com/cs/education/a/aa031703.htm

The best public high schools are magnet and advanced studies schools. You can find much more information at dadeschools.net. There are some great private schools, also. In general (this is the subjective portion of the program), people would say that the better schools are in the southern part of the county. Hey, I am from the NW. I guess I should say that the achievement depends on the student and not necessarily the environment.

You may also want to contact realtors and relocation agents for more input.

It would only take 5-10 minutes to get off Rickenbacker Causeway onto Brickell Avenue. It depends how far into downtown you need to go (and, of course, the traffic).

There are some good to excellent public schools in Miami, but the rest are about the worst you can get. The best are arguably the main magnent schools, all in proximity to downtown - MAST (marine biology, Key Biscayne), DASH (architecture/design, Design District), and New World (drama/art, downtown). The best school districts are in Miami Beach, which is right across the bay from downtown, in Aventura (northern most suburb), and throughout the southern suburbs. The school districts in the inner city areas and western areas are, for the most part, not very good.

While there are definitley some good options for public schools, unless you live in the right district or are accepeted into the magnets, going private is the best way to go - Ransom Everglades (Coconut Grove, just south of downtown), Miami Country Day School (Miami Shores, just north of the Upper East Side, itself just 10 minutes from downtown), and Gulliver (southern suburbs) are regarded as the most prestigous, but there are plenty of more options.

I lived in Miami for over 20 years and wouldn't send children to public schools there (except perhaps for some elementary schools - which sometimes can affect their ability to get into private schools down the road).

Lived on Key Biscayne for 10 years and worked downtown. Commuting to work was basically a breeze (maybe 20 minutes - nice drive). On the other hand - the beach traffic to/from Crandon Park and Cape Florida - on weekends - particularly during the summer - can be a nightmare. Robyn