Coral Gables Schools Guide - Miami - Elementary , Middle Schools and High schools

For a lot of families, the public schools in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove are the whole reason they buy here. Both neighborhoods sit inside Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and between them they hold some of the highest-rated public schools in Florida — including five with a perfect 10/10 GreatSchools rating.

Below, the standout public schools for both neighborhoods are grouped by level — elementary, middle, and high — with the typical admission ages, ratings from GreatSchools, Niche and Florida state grades, and a link to each school’s page and map.

How Miami-Dade school zones and magnets work

Miami-Dade public schools fall into two buckets. Boundary (neighborhood) schools assign your child by home address — buy inside the boundary and you’re in. Magnet schools pull from across the district by application through the district’s Choice/Magnet lottery , so an address helps but doesn’t guarantee a seat. Several Gables and Grove schools run both a boundary program and a magnet strand.

Elementary schools (grades K–5 · ages 5–11)

Coral Gables Preparatory Academy’s historic Lower Academy building. Photo: SebasTorrente / CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

Admission ages: Florida kindergarten begins at age 5 (your child must turn 5 by September 1); pre-K/VPK starts at age 4. Elementary runs through 5th grade, around age 11.

Sunset Elementary (Coral Gables / South Miami area) — a 10/10 GreatSchools rating , an A state grade, and National Blue Ribbon honors, with a Gifted program and a nationally certified International Studies language magnet. One of the most in-demand elementary boundaries in the area.

Henry S. West Laboratory School (Coral Gables, K–8) — a University of Miami–affiliated lab school, 10/10 GreatSchools and top 1% in Florida. Starts at kindergarten and keeps kids through 8th grade on one campus.

Coral Gables Preparatory Academy (Coral Gables, PK–8) — a 10/10 GreatSchools college-prep academy on Minorca Avenue. Like West Lab, it starts in kindergarten and runs through 8th grade, so it serves both elementary and middle families.

Coconut Grove Elementary (Coconut Grove) — ranks in Florida’s top 5% (Public School Review), with roughly 85% reading and 83% math proficiency. The Grove’s anchor neighborhood elementary.

George Washington Carver Elementary (Coconut Grove edge) — a 10/10 GreatSchools , A-rated language magnet with a Gifted & Talented program; feeds naturally toward Carver Middle for a continuous language track.

Middle schools (grades 6–8 · ages 11–14)

Admission ages: students start 6th grade around age 11 and finish 8th around age 14. Magnet strands (like Carver’s) admit through the Choice/Magnet lottery; K–8 campuses carry students up from kindergarten.

George Washington Carver Middle (Coral Gables–Grove line) — a 10/10 GreatSchools rating and a spot among Florida’s top-ranked public middle schools. Its International Education magnet lets students study French, Italian, German, or Spanish.

Ponce de Leon Middle (Coral Gables) — a 6/10 GreatSchools rating and a B on Niche, home to the only public International Baccalaureate Middle Years magnet in Coral Gables, plus Gifted & Talented and high-school-level AP.

Coral Gables Preparatory Academy (Coral Gables, PK–8) — the 10/10 college-prep academy listed under elementary also runs through 8th grade, a structured, uniform option that avoids a middle-school switch.

Henry S. West Laboratory School (Coral Gables, K–8) — the 10/10 lab school listed above also spans the middle grades, so families who start there don’t have to switch schools at 6th grade.

High schools (grades 9–12 · ages 14–18)

Coral Gables Senior High School. Photo: WhisperToMe / CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

Admission ages: students enter 9th grade around age 14 and graduate 12th around age 18. Both neighborhoods share one boundary high school (Coral Gables Senior High); the others below are countywide magnets you apply, audition, or submit a portfolio for through the Choice/Magnet process.

Coral Gables Senior High (Coral Gables) — the boundary feeder high school for both neighborhoods (Niche 3.8/5), with a slate of magnet academies. This is where most Gables and Grove students land by address.

MAST Academy (Key Biscayne magnet, grades 6–12) — a STEM and marine-science magnet ranked among Florida’s top 15 high schools, with a 100% AP participation rate. The high-school program admits mainly at 9th grade, a short drive from both neighborhoods.

Design & Architecture Senior High (DASH) (Design District magnet) — a nationally ranked creative magnet in architecture, fashion, and design; admission is by portfolio and interview rather than test scores.

Coral Reef Senior High (South Dade “mega magnet”) — ranked in Florida’s top 10%, with six magnet programs including International Baccalaureate, visual and performing arts, health sciences, legal, and business. Most admit by lottery; the arts program is by audition.

→ Search homes zoned for these Coral Gables and Coconut Grove schools

All schools at a glance

School name links to its page; “map” opens the location in Google Maps.

School	Grades / ages	Rating (source)	Program
Elementary (K–5, ages 5–11)
Sunset Elementary (Gables area) · map	PK–5	10/10 GreatSchools; A grade	Gifted; International Studies magnet
Henry S. West Laboratory (Gables) · map	K–8	10/10 GreatSchools; top 1% FL	UM-affiliated lab school
Coral Gables Preparatory Academy (Gables) · map	PK–8	10/10 GreatSchools; top 20% FL	College-prep (through 8th)
Coconut Grove Elementary (Grove) · map	PK–5	Top 5% FL; ~85% reading / 83% math	Neighborhood anchor
G.W. Carver Elementary (Grove edge) · map	PK–5	10/10 GreatSchools; A grade	Gifted & Talented, languages
Middle (6–8, ages 11–14)
G.W. Carver Middle (Gables/Grove) · map	6–8	10/10 GreatSchools; top-ranked in FL	International Education magnet
Ponce de Leon Middle (Gables) · map	6–8	6/10 GreatSchools; B on Niche	IB, Gifted & Talented, AP
High (9–12, ages 14–18)
Coral Gables Senior High (boundary) · map	9–12	3.8/5 Niche	Shared feeder; magnet academies
MAST Academy (magnet) · map	6–12	Top 15 in FL	STEM / marine science
Design & Architecture (DASH) (magnet) · map	9–12	Nationally ranked	Design / arts (portfolio)
Coral Reef Senior High (magnet) · map	9–12	Top 10% in FL	Six-program “mega magnet” (incl. IB)

Ratings from GreatSchools , Niche, U.S. News, Public School Review, and Florida state grades, 2026. Ratings update periodically — verify current figures before you rely on them.

How to buy into the right school zone

If a specific school is the goal, work backward from it. First, confirm the exact boundary on the district’s address-lookup tool — boundaries follow streets, not neighborhood names, and they shift. Second, if the school is a magnet, note the Choice/Magnet application window, which usually opens in the fall for the following year. Third, factor the school premium into your budget: boundary homes for the 10/10 schools carry it, and it holds value at resale.

Because the top-rated boundaries command a premium, it pays to have your budget and financing set before you tour, so you can move when the right home in the right zone comes up. That premium tends to hold: demand for these zones stays steady year after year, which supports resale value even when the broader market softens.

When you’re ready to look, you can browse current Coral Gables and Coconut Grove listings , check what a home is worth if you’re moving up within a zone, or start with the buyer guide to map out the process.

Coral Gables & Coconut Grove schools FAQ

What are the best public elementary schools in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove?
Sunset Elementary (10/10) and Henry S. West Laboratory School (10/10, K–8) in Coral Gables, plus Coconut Grove Elementary (top 5% in Florida) and George Washington Carver Elementary (A-rated language magnet) in the Grove.

What are the best public middle schools?
George Washington Carver Middle (10/10, International Education magnet) and Ponce de Leon Middle (IB, Gifted & Talented, AP). Two K–8 campuses — Henry S. West Laboratory and Coral Gables Preparatory Academy, both 10/10 — also carry students through 8th grade.

What high school do Coral Gables and Coconut Grove feed into?
Both neighborhoods share Coral Gables Senior High as the boundary (address-assigned) high school. Families also apply to countywide magnet high schools such as MAST Academy, Design & Architecture (DASH), and Coral Reef Senior High.

What ages start each level?
Kindergarten begins at age 5 (turning 5 by September 1), with pre-K from age 4. Middle school starts at 6th grade around age 11, and high school starts at 9th grade around age 14.

Do I have to live in the boundary to attend these schools?
For boundary schools like Sunset Elementary and Coral Gables Senior High, yes — your address assigns the seat. Magnets like Carver Middle, MAST, DASH, and Coral Reef admit through the district’s Choice/Magnet lottery, audition, or portfolio, so you can attend from outside the immediate area if selected.