Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay families now have reason to check whether their child's school landed on a statewide honor roll. Miami-Dade County Public Schools earned 160 Schools of Excellence designations for the 2025-26 school year, more than any other district in Florida.

The district's total accounts for 21% of all Schools of Excellence statewide and more than doubles the 76 designations earned by Broward County Public Schools, the next-highest large urban district, according to a district announcement.

The Florida State Board of Education approved the designations as a consent item at its Oct. 14 meeting in Stuart. Dr. Paul O. Burns, the state's senior chancellor, presented the item.

Under Section 1003.631 of Florida Statutes, a School of Excellence is a campus that scores in the 80th percentile or higher on the state's school grade calculation for at least two of the last three school years. The designation covers elementary, middle, high and combination schools.

Schools that earn the title gain several administrative flexibilities under state law. They are exempt from minimum daily or weekly reading-instruction requirements. Principals get greater autonomy over staffing and operations. Instructional personnel can substitute one year of employment at the school for 20 in-service points toward certificate renewal, up to 60 points total in a five-year cycle. Campuses can also set their own start and end times and calculate class size compliance as a school-wide average rather than per classroom.

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

The district's press release references a full list of all 160 campuses, and the Florida Department of Education published consent-item documents with school-by-school breakdowns by grade level. Families can check those lists to see whether their child's school earned the designation.