Healthcare | Education | Recreation / Leisure | Shopping | Arts & Culture
Industry in the area is growing and changing, demanding more qualified workers each year. Homestead/Florida City’s schools are dedicated to producing the intelligent adults that will satisfy the growing demand for highly skilled employees. Because Homestead/Florida City knows it will reap what it sows in education, the area has invested much more in education per capita than most large cities, having doubled its expenditure per student in a decade. The City of Homestead is served by 13 elementary schools, 4 junior high schools, 2 parochial schools and 1 senior high school. Besides fine schools, excellent public libraries serve South Dade, and in the immediate neighborhood are an aviation musuem, a railroad museum, a Florida history museum, and a number of agricultural, marine, cultural and ecological facilities with you-oriented programs. With stellar public and private schools, as well as prestigious colleges and universities, Homestead/Florida City is a leader in education.
Homestead and Florida City are included in Region VI, which
also includes Miami Southridge, Miami Sunset and South Dade high schools. Dade County 
has the fourth largest school district in the nation, serving more than 340,000
students. Magnet programs offer a variety of courses from architecture and engineering to
computer technologies, visual and performing arts and natural sciences. Dade County’s
teacher to pupil ratio of 1 to 19 and a per pupil expenditure of $4,628 (1993-94) ensures
a high level of instruction. Teacher salaries average $39,299.
In 1995, Dade County students improved their scores on four major tests, exceeding state and national gains. All high school students are encouraged to take the voluntary SAT test and in 1995, 99% of students posted higher verbal scores. Math and verbal SAT scores were the highest in five years. Nearly 60% of our high-school graduates pursue higher education.
The school system is the fourth largest business operation in Florida, administered by a none-member elected school board, completely independent of municipal government control. Contact Region VI Dade County at 995-1000.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
South Florida is a strong supporter of non-public education with approximately 15% of the student population attending private schools. The State of Florida does not interact directly with pprivate schools, but rather awards certain accrediting associations who in turn award accreditation to qualified, member schools. For those parents interested in assuring this standing, accredited private schools are able to demonstrate their affiliation and accreditation standing.
Some private schools feature a proven college preparatory curriculum
with demonstrated superior results on college entrance exams. Others offer Bible and other
religious concentrations. Still others offer specialized musical, drama, and athletic
programs which seek to develop other talents in the individual. Florida private schools
participate and compete with public schools. Non-public schools may seek membership in the
Florida High School Activities Association (FHSAA) and under this umbrella may compete for
district, regional and state 
championships along
with public schools. South Florida’s reputation as a sports stronghold is certainly
enhanced by local private schools who win their fair share of awards and honors.
Dade County’s Public Schools annually produce a management and accountability report entitled "District and School Profiles." Available at the library, or on the Internet at dcps.dade.k12.fl.us, can be used for those looking to compare public and private educational institutions.
Tuition costs range from roughly $3,000 - $6,000 per ear at the elementary levela nd $3,500 - $10,000 at secondary. Most private schools wear uniforms and offer inspection copies of their Student Handbook to prospective parents. Private schools typically open registration February through March for the following fall term and require a non-refundable registration fee as evidence of firm commitment. No state or local government tuition aid is currently available, but some private schools do offer financial assistance on a limited basis.
Source: Charles Magsig, Princeton Christian School
HIGHER EDUCATION
Dade County’s fine higher education facilities bring over 100,000 college students to the area annually. South Dade itself hosts campuses and research facilities from Florida State University, University of Florida, Florida International University and other institutions, offering graduate and undergraduate courses and degrees.
Miami-Dade Community
College’s new $35 million campus has opened in downtown Homestead to serve over
5,000 students. The college’s educational focus is on administrative and management
skills, technology, agriculture and international trade. The campus also hosts the
graduate and undergraduate programs of Florida International University. Miami-Dade is
also developing a new $25 million aviation training campus at the realigned air base in
Homestead. The college has been ranked by its peers as the number one community college in
the nation and employs approximately 2,700 full-time faculty and staff.
Florida International University in Miami is a four-year school and is part of Florida’s state university system. It is one of the top 25 comprehensive universities in the United States ansd is also the largest public university in South Florida. FIU offers graduate and undergraduate television courses to students in the Homestead area and will eventually add a campus in Homestead.
The University of Miami, in Coral Gables, is the largest, most comprehensive four-year private research university in the southeastern U.S. The school’s curriculum includes degrees in law, medicine, marine science and international studies.
SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER
Homestead also boasts the Sylvan Learning Center, one of only six in
Florida. 
This educational asset provides
courses for enrichment and remediation to help students achieve their full potential in
school. The Center works side by side with public and private schools to enhance students
skills and offer them individual instruction in study skills, reading, writing, basic
math, algebra, geometry and college entrance preparation.
Sylvan Learning Center also contributes to Homestead’s growing economy by educating the workforce. The "Sylvan At Work" programs are designed to specifically fit the needs of the growing business and industrial community in Homestead.
ADULT TECHNICAL TRAINING
Homestead’s South Dade Adult Education Center features a
curriculum that is specifically tailored to meet the needs of industrial employers in
South Dade, 
assuring a
high job placement rate following graduation. Enthusiastic students, many who have a
background in farming, are gaining technical skills that are required by South Dade’s
most innovative enterprises. Training of service personnel, civilians and reservists at
the Homestead Air Reserve Base add to South Dade’s pool of technically-adept
employees. The staet’s "Quick Response" labor productivity program utilizes
the facilities of Homestead’s Miami-Dade Community College to tailor on-site
employer-driven personnel training through a grant-funded process.