Type Public secondary Principal Victoria Dobbs Enrollment 2,884 students Mascot Black panther | Established September 1958 Grades 9–12 Phone +1 305-235-1360 Colors White, Blue | |
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School district Miami-Dade County Public Schools Address 7460 SW 118th St, Pinecrest, FL 33156, USA District Miami-Dade County Public Schools Profiles | ||
Miami Palmetto Senior High School is a public high school located at 7460 S.W. 118th Street in Pinecrest, Florida. The school is on 23 acres (93,000 m²) in southwest Miami-Dade County, and is part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district. Miami Norland Senior High is Miami Palmetto's sister school by original blueprints. The school has been named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Its principal is Victoria Dobbs.
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The school serves several areas: Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, and sections of the Kendall census-designated place.
Miami Palmetto's athletic rivals are Miami Killian High School, Miami Southridge High School and Coral Reef High School. Coral Gables High School and South Dade High School were rivals throughout much of the school's history.
History
Miami Palmetto was built in 1958. It serves a culturally and socioeconomically diverse population. It is one of two public high schools with a white non-Hispanic plurality in Miami-Dade County, the other being Tracy and Alonzo Mourning High School. Miami Palmetto is the home school for the residents of Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, West Perrine, and Palmetto Estates. The school enjoys strong support from the municipal governments of the two primary areas zoned to Palmetto Senior, the Village of Pinecrest and the Village of Palmetto Bay. Both provide noteworthy cash or in-kind donations and have active Educational Advisory Compact agreements that facilitate working with MDCPS. Pinecrest gives $10,000 to the school every year, and Palmetto Bay in 2015 sponsored a community-wide 5K Color Run fundraiser benefit. An active PTSA also contributes substantial resources (funding, programming, volunteer manpower). The school is slated for a $29 million renovation, with groundbreaking anticipated in fall 2016. In the school's history a few scandals have surfaced, one in which lacrosse players shared racist remarks through a group chat to later be counseled, and an incident where a student stabbed a classmate and her teacher with scissors. Miami Palmetto is currently participating in a pilot program of AP Capstone.
Academics
The diverse curriculum offers a choice of 28 different AP courses, and students have the highest pass rate for AP exams in the county. The school's pass rate for AP Chemistry for the 2015 exam was the highest in the State of Florida. Over 50% of students take at least one AP class, and over 50% have a GPA higher than 4.0. Graduates are admitted to a wide variety of the nation's top colleges and universities. Miami Palmetto students score higher on other state and national assessments than other standard (non-magnet) public schools in Miami-Dade County. In addition, as a neighborhood (non-magnet) school, Miami Palmetto serves all student populations. The school's Special Olympics athletes win at state level competitions every year.According to Newsweek's 2001 List of the 1,000 Top U.S. Schools, Miami Palmetto is ranked at 251 in the nation (23rd in the state of Florida). According to the 2007 list, the school is ranked at 72 in the nation. This ranking is based on self-reported statistics, including:
Ethnicity
As of 2010 the school is 38% White, 32% Hispanic, 20% black/African American, 2% Asian, and 3% multiracial.
Miami Palmetto media
Miami Palmetto has two publications: the newspaper, The Panther, and the yearbook, Palm Echo. Both are managed by student staffs.
Athletics
International championships
National championships