City: Downtown Miami, FL

Category: Education

Telephone: (305) 995-1000

Address: 1450 NE 2nd Ave.

Description: According to the Digest of Education Statistics, the Miami-Dade County Public School System is the fourth largest in the country. As of November 2010, over 340,000 students were enrolled in over 400 schools controlled by the department. The district was founded in 1885. The city’s diversity shines through in the classroom, which makes it one of the most diverse school systems in the country. Over half of the students in the system are of Hispanic origin and bilingual education includes Spanish, Mandarin, and Haitian Creole. Additional languages are offered at school as part of the traditional school curriculum or through advanced programs such as International Baccalaureate. For those who are new to the district, visit www.dadeschools.net for calendars, immunization guidelines, and registration requirements. September 1 is the birthday cutoff for each school year (i.e., students must be four years old on or before this date to be eligible for pre-kindergarten enrollment. This applies to five-year-olds in kindergarten and six-year-olds in first grade, who are also required to have completed kindergarten).