MAST Academy has earned a School of Excellence designation from the Florida State Board of Education for the 2025-26 school year.

The school is one of 160 Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) campuses to receive the honor, according to a district announcement. The district said its 160 designated schools represent 21% of all Schools of Excellence across Florida, the highest share among large urban districts.

That total more than doubles the next-closest large district. Broward County Public Schools earned 76 designations, according to the M-DCPS announcement.

A school announcement on MAST Academy's website confirmed the designation and called it a repeat honor, stating the school "has once again been designated as a School of Excellence."

What the designation means


Under Section 1003.631 of Florida law, a school qualifies when its percentage of possible points in the state’s school-grade calculation ranks at or above the 80th percentile among schools in the same grade grouping — elementary, middle, high or combination — for at least two of the past three school years.

The Florida Legislature created the program in 2017. Senior Chancellor Paul O. Burns of the Florida Department of Education outlined the program's requirements in a September 2025 memorandum covering the prior year's designations. A qualifying school keeps the designation for up to three years. It may renew if it met the percentile threshold in at least two of the previous three years and did not receive a school grade below B during those three years.


The designation brings several flexibilities under state law. Schools may be exempt from minimum daily or weekly reading-instruction time requirements and district rules on school-day start and end times. Principals gain autonomy, and class-size compliance is calculated using the school-level average. Instructional personnel may also substitute one year of employment at the school for 20 in-service points toward certificate renewal, up to 60 points in a five-year cycle.

District-wide picture

Miami-Dade Schools said on X on Tuesday, Oct. 27, that the district leads the state with 160 designated schools and ranks first among large urban districts.

M-DCPS said its schools have earned the designation every year since the program began. The district described the results as spanning neighborhood schools, magnet programs, career academies and specialized pathways.


The State Board of Education approved the 2025-26 Schools of Excellence designations on Oct. 14. The Florida DOE's accountability page lists the designated schools by grade grouping.