Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard Catholic School opened a second campus in Cutler Bay during the 2025-26 school year to absorb surging demand. The expansion is part of a five-year enrollment climb across South Florida's Catholic schools, growth that comes as Miami-Dade County Public Schools faces continued student losses and deepening budget cuts.

The school, which operates a north campus at 7500 SW 152nd St. in Palmetto Bay, opened its south campus at 9500 SW 184th St. in Cutler Bay, according to a Local 10 report. It is the first school in the Archdiocese of Miami to accept children as young as three months old.

Archdiocese enrollment has climbed steadily, fueled by Florida's voucher program

Archdiocese enrollment climbed 16.7% over five years, from 26,677 students in 2020-21 to 31,142 in 2025-26, the Miami Herald reported Friday. More than half of the archdiocese's schools are full with waiting lists, and four new schools have opened in the past four years. At least one more will open in fall 2027.

"Last year, we had a school in Cutler Bay that opened up a second campus to try to meet the really strong demand that seems to exist for Catholic education in South Florida," Superintendent Jim Rigg of the Archdiocese of Miami told the Miami Herald.

Fueling the growth: Florida's universal voucher program, expanded in the 2022-23 school year to allow any family regardless of income to receive up to $8,000 toward private school tuition. More than 95% of Catholic school students in the archdiocese receive some form of state scholarship, averaging about $6,500, according to Rigg.

Public school enrollment losses are driving deep budget cuts at M-DCPS

Every student who leaves M-DCPS reduces the district's per-pupil state funding allocation. The district lost roughly 13,000 students during 2025-26 and projects another 8,000 will leave in 2026-27, dropping traditional public school enrollment to approximately 217,100, according to district statistics presented at a June budget workshop. The number of Miami-Dade students using private school vouchers is projected to rise by about 10,000 to 82,500 next school year.

The financial hit has been steep. M-DCPS absorbed an $89 million midyear budget reduction in 2025-26, on top of a $100 million cut the prior year. The district is proposing $63 million in additional cuts for 2026-27. District officials have warned that continued enrollment declines could lead to job cuts and hinder growth of programs like International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement classes.

School board weighs consolidations as competition for students intensifies

"Private schools, charter schools and traditional public schools are fighting for a smaller pool of children," Miami-Dade School Board member Dr. Steve Gallon III said at a June board meeting.

In June, the school board voted to approve several consolidations, including merging schools into K-8 and 6-12 configurations. None of the approved mergers directly affect Palmetto Bay or Cutler Bay schools, and no school-specific cuts at Coral Reef Senior High have been announced.

Both the Archdiocese of Miami and M-DCPS will release official 2026-27 enrollment figures in early October.