Find the best schools in Southwest Ranches
If you plan on moving to Southwest Ranches, you probably have a million things running through your mind right now. What’s the community like? Where am I going to live? Is there city trash pick-up? How long is moving going to take? How much is the U-Haul going to cost? Can you actually have horses? (Yes, you can.) Where are the kids going to go to school?
Well, we can’t tell you much about the U-Haul prices. However, we can help you with schools. We did the research and found the best schools in Southwest Ranches or near the area from the compiled ratings of greatschools.org, niche.com, and the Florida Department of Education’s school accountability report.
Living in Southwest Ranches, residents are served by the Broward County Public School System which includes public district schools and public charter schools. Notably, there aren’t many options for education in Southwest Ranches. However, Pembroke Pines and Davie are close by, and we’ve included some of those schools in this guide to give you a comprehensive understanding of the best schools within and around Southwest Ranches. For a complete list of schools nearby, check out our Pembroke Pines and Davie city profiles.
The Best Elementary Schools In Southwest Ranches
The best elementary school in Southwest Ranches is Hawkes Bluff Elementary School, and the other recommended schools close by in Davie are Somerset Academy Davie Charter Elementary School and Atlantic Montessori Charter Elementary School. All of these schools were rated 9/10 by greatschools.org. And all received an “A” from the FDOE’s school accountability report.
In terms of academic performance, all of these schools exceed the state standard in standardized testing in every subject. However, Somerset Academy Elementary leads the pack in all three subjects, scoring a 94% proficiency in math, a 90% proficiency in English, and a 76% proficiency in science. Atlantic Montessori Charter Elementary and Hawkes Bluff Elementary follow closely behind. Atlantic Montessori Charter Elementary scored an 87% proficiency in math, an 82% proficiency in English, and a 52% proficiency in science. And Hawkes Bluff Elementary scored a 79% proficiency in math, a 76% proficiency in English, and a 59% proficiency in science.
Obviously, all of these schools perform academically. However, it’s worth noting that Hawkes Bluff Elementary is the only public district school, and the others are a part of Broward County’s public charter school system. This means that students have to apply and be accepted to attend these schools.
Another notable difference in these schools is parent testimony. Overall, Hawkes Bluff Elementary receives the most positive parent testimony while the other schools receive mixed feedback according to greatschools.org.
One Hawkes Bluff Elementary parent said, “I love this school. It has a small-town feel to it like those awesome schools you on see on TV! Lots of interaction...academic enhancement, fairs, field trips, celebrations, and competitions.”
To find out more about these schools and read additional parent testimonials, go to greatschools.org or check out the individual school’s websites. Remember you can also check out the schools in our Davie and Pembroke Pines city profiles.
The Best Middle Schools In Southwest Ranches
The best middle school in Southwest Ranches is Silver Trail Middle School, and the other recommended middle schools are Indian Ridge Middle School and Franklin Academy K-8. Indian Ridge Middle is located in Davie, and Franklin Academy K-8 is located in Pembroke Pines. Greatschools.org rates Silver Trail Middle a 9/10, Indian Ridge Middle a 7/10, and Franklin Academy K-8 a 10/10. However, all schools receive an “A’ from the FDOE’s school accountability report.
In terms of academic performance, all of these schools do well in that they exceed state standards for standardized testing in every subject. But, Franklin Academy K-8 leads the pack. Franklin Academy K-8 scored an 83% proficiency in math, an 83% proficiency in English, and an 87 % proficiency in science while Silver Trail Middle scored a 76% proficiency in math, a 74% proficiency in English, and a 63% proficiency in science. And, Indian Ridge Middle scored a 71% proficiency in math, a 67% proficiency in English, and a 53% proficiency in science.
It’s worth noting that while Franklin Academy K-8 may perform the best academically, it is a charter school. So, students have to apply and be selected to attend. Whereas with the other schools, students do not need to apply to go.
In addition, all of these schools receive mixed parent reviews and testimony from greatschools.org, but Silver Trail Middle does receive the highest score from parents, 3.4 stars out of 5.
One Silver Trail Middle parent said, “AMAZING SCHOOL! My kid only came because she had to finish off public school to get the MKay Scholarship! And I have to say this school was perfect she went only for 8th and we had the best experience! Teachers all spoke English and thats a big plus! She is no in American heritage with the scholarship and is doing amazing thanks to this school preparing her! This was really a good choice. I recommend it to any parents! 10/10.”
However, note that this is the review from only one parent. To learn about these schools more in-depth, read additional parent testimonials at greatschools.org and check out each school’s website. If you’re unsatisfied with any of our recommendations, you can always explore more schools in Davie and Pembroke Pines.
The Best High Schools In Southwest Ranches
There’s one high school in Southwest Ranches, but we do not recommend it. Instead, we suggest you look at other high schools in the Pembroke Pines and Davie areas. The best schools in those areas are Pembroke Pines Charter High School, Somerset Charter High School, and William T. McFatter Technical High School. Pembroke Pines Charter High and Somerset Charter High are in Pembroke Pines while McFatter Technical High is located in Davie. Greatschools.org rates McFatter Technical High a 10/10, Pembroke Pines Charter High a 9/10, and Somerset Charter High an 8/10. In addition, all of these schools received an “A” from the FDOE’s school accountability report.
In terms of academic performance, all of these schools do well; they all exceeded the state standards in standardized testing for every subject. However, McFatter Technical High leads the pack, scoring a 92% proficiency in United States history, an 89% proficiency in Geometry, and an 88% proficiency in biology. Pembroke Pines Charter High follows closely behind with an 84% proficiency in algebra, a 76 % proficiency in geometry, and an 88% proficiency in biology. And then comes Somerset Charter High with a 73% proficiency in algebra, a 70% proficiency in geometry, and an 85% proficiency in biology. Note that not all of these schools have scores published from the same subjects.
Also, each school earned the College Success Award for their efforts in preparing students for college and later careers. McFatter Technical High earned it in 2018 and 2019, and the other two schools earned it in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Note that none of these schools is a part of the Broward County public district school system, and students have to apply and be selected to attend. McFatter Technical High is unique in that it is a magnet school that provides education in technical and traditional academic areas. Students who attend McFatter Technical High are required to take 24 credits of college preparatory curriculum and eight technical credits in whichever field the student chooses. The other two schools follow a traditional college preparatory program, but both have numerous AP classes and provide many opportunities for your child to succeed.
Regarding parent testimony, McFatter Technical High is the most highly praised by parents. However, all schools do receive mixed reviews, so it’s worth going to greatschools.org to read the testimonials for yourself.
But one McFatter Technical High parent did say, “We love McFatter, the administration, support staff through guidance and dedicated teachers make this school exceptional. What a change from my son attending a mediocre middle school to this experience. The staff are proactive, creative and make the students a priority. So far it's been a wonderful experience.”
To find more about these high schools, visit their websites and maybe even call the front office to arrange a tour of the school. This could help you decide which school is the best fit for your child. And, you can always explore other schools in Pembroke Pines and Davie that are listed in our profiles for those cities.
For more information about each of these schools’ COVID-19 protocols, check out the Broward County public school website. Also, visit greatschools.org and niche.com for additional parent testimonials and to explore any other schools in more depth. And to see the criteria for Florida Department of Education ratings, go to their website. Note that all quotes listed above come from parent reviews at greatschools.org.
