Key Biscayne families with children turning 4 by Sept. 1, 2027, can apply for a free Voluntary Prekindergarten seat at Key Biscayne K-8 Center.

Applications opened Oct. 1 through the Miami-Dade County Public Schools parent portal at dadeschools.net, the Islander News reported. The school is one of roughly 16 district sites that fill VPK seats by lottery rather than first-come, first-served, according to an M-DCPS announcement.

Lottery results will go out by email on Feb. 1, 2027.

Families who receive an offer must accept it through the SchoolMint application.

What families need

The application requires three documents:

  • A birth certificate
  • Proof of residency
  • A VPK Certificate of Eligibility, available free through vpkhelp.org

To apply, parents log in to the M-DCPS parent portal, select the Admissions tab and choose the VPK tile.

Florida's Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, known as VPK, is a free state program open to all 4- and 5-year-olds who live in Florida. The school-year program runs 540 instructional hours starting in August, according to vpkhelp.org.

Postponement option

Children whose birthdays fall between Feb. 2 and Sept. 1 may postpone VPK enrollment until the following year, when they turn 5, according to a district flyer cited by the Islander News.

Enrollment backdrop

The VPK application window arrives as Key Biscayne K-8 works to stabilize enrollment. Overall enrollment at the school had dropped from about 1,300 students to just under 900, with the sharpest decline in the middle school grades, according to minutes from the Village of Key Biscayne Education Advisory Board's May 8, 2025, meeting. The board discussed the decline as a priority for future planning.

At that same meeting, resident Jacky Kellogg told the board that per-student funding had fallen from about $11,000 in 2010 to roughly $9,000, attributing the shift to state voucher programs diverting money from public schools. The meeting minutes also noted that private schools on the island were seeing nearly a 100% increase in enrollment, largely attributed to voucher availability.

Registrar Susan Suarez handles VPK questions at Key Biscayne K-8 Center and can be reached at (305) 361-5418 or [email protected].