Magnet Programs in Miami, Florida: How to Apply for 2027-2028

Miami-Dade County Public Schools runs tuition-free magnet programs in 11 themes of study from Pre-K through grade 12, counted at more than 300 in its September 30, 2026 release and more than 350 at 121 schools a year earlier.

The district counted 121 schools and more than 350 programs when it opened the cycle for 2026-2027 seats (M-DCPS news release, September 30, 2025). The 11 themes are Arts and Multimedia, Business and Finance, Early Childhood and Education, Fine Arts, Health Sciences, Information Technology and Digital Design, International and Advanced Studies, On-Demand Learning, Public Service, STEM, and Trade and Industry (Miami Magnet Schools). Magnet and Parent Choice programs let a Miami student elect out of an assigned boundary school, starting as young as age four.

The figure is not fixed. The September 30, 2026 release for 2027-2028 seats describes more than 300 magnet programs across the district in arts, science, technology and skilled trades, and names the newest ones: SportsPLEX at Miami Killian Senior High, SpaceHUB at Booker T. Washington Senior High and Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High, a Classical Academy magnet at Village Green Elementary, Culinary Arts at Riviera Middle School and Information Technology at Lamar Louise Curry Middle School (M-DCPS news release, September 30, 2026). In January 2026 the district described SpaceHUB as Florida's first aerospace magnet program (M-DCPS news release, January 13, 2026).

Magnet programs differ from Parent Choice programs, which are designed for and first offered to students assigned to that school's boundary. Career academies are a third route: high school courses tied to technical courses aligned with workforce needs in Miami-Dade (Miami Magnet Schools). A Miami family comparing options should note which type a program is, because the admissions page asks for the program type before it routes the application (M-DCPS Admissions).

Miami-Dade magnet applications for the 2027-2028 school year opened October 1, 2026, and close January 15, 2027, through the M-DCPS Parent Portal.

The district admissions page gives that window for magnet programs and for VPK programs, while Choice applications stay open all year (M-DCPS Admissions). The Miami Magnet Schools quick guide sets the cutoff at 11:59 p.m. on January 15 and warns that all auditions and tests must take place before March 1 (Miami Magnet Schools application process).

A seat is lost by waiting. Parents who are accepted must log back in and confirm within two weeks after March 15, or the seat goes to the next student on the waiting list. Accepting one school declines every other acceptance, although the student stays on any waiting list already held. Waiting lists can move until the start of the following school year, and if a Miami-Dade school exhausts its list, open seats are filled first come, first served from April 15 to September 1 (Miami Magnet Schools application process).

For the cycle that just ended, the window ran October 1, 2025, to January 15, 2026 (M-DCPS news release), so the calendar has held steady from one year to the next in Miami-Dade.

A Miami parent applies online in the M-DCPS Parent Portal, signing in with a Google or Apple ID, opening the Admissions Application and adding the Magnet Application form.

The Miami Magnet Schools quick guide lays out the order: research programs and attend open houses, log in to the Parent Portal, click Admissions Application, add or verify the student, click Add Forms, then Magnet Application, and upload transcripts and any program documents (Miami Magnet Schools application process). Applications for grades K to 12 are submitted only through the Parent Portal at dadeschools.net (M-DCPS news release, September 30, 2026).

Each Miami-Dade magnet application may list up to 5 schools, only one program per school, and a separate application is needed for each child. Twins applying to the same school mark twin status on both applications. A sibling already enrolled at the school is entered on the form, except for Visual and Performing Arts and select international programs. Active military parents upload active-duty documents and veteran parents upload proof of honorable discharge to be considered for those priorities (Miami Magnet Schools application process).

Selection is a lottery. A third-party computer system runs the random selection for Miami-Dade magnet programs, applying each program's eligibility criteria and sibling pairings and producing waiting lists (Miami Magnet Schools application process). A student who is not accepted for failing an audition or a proficiency test takes any appeal to the individual school, not the district office.

Basic random selection magnets in Miami-Dade require a 2.0 core GPA, a 2.0 conduct GPA and few unexcused absences, while designated programs such as MAST Academy require a 2.5 core GPA.

Basic random selection magnets ask for at least a 2.0 grade point average in core subjects and in conduct for the previous year and the first grading period combined, effort grades no greater than 2, and no more than 10 unexcused absences in the previous year and 5 in the first semester (Miami Magnet Schools eligibility guide). No teacher recommendation is required.

Enhanced criteria raise the core GPA to 2.5 and can require Algebra I, Geometry, Physical Science or Biology credit by the start of the school year. The Miami-Dade list covers AP Capstone, Cambridge, IB, International Studies and iPrep programs in grades 9 to 12, plus named schools including Maritime and Science Technology (MAST) Academy and Young Women's Preparatory Academy (Leadership) (Miami Magnet Schools eligibility guide). Fine Arts magnets place students by audition, and families must schedule auditions by January 15.

Some Miami-Dade programs admit by interest alone, with no entrance criteria or prerequisites. All Pre-K and kindergarten magnet applications are interest based, and so are listed programs such as the SpaceHUB tracks at Booker T. Washington Senior High (grades 9 and 10), Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IYC) at Miami Edison Senior High and STArts2 Digital Music Production at Citrus Grove K-8 Center (Miami Magnet Schools eligibility guide).

One line in the guide needs a check: it still says FSA scores may not be reviewed in eligibility, so Miami parents should ask each school which current test scores it looks at. Parents of International Studies applicants in grades 2 to 10 must also book the required language skills test by January 15 (Miami Magnet Schools eligibility guide).

MAST Academy earned an A with 88 percent of possible points in the 2025-26 Florida school grades released in September 2026, the top result among the Miami-Dade magnet schools in this table.

The grades come from the Florida Department of Education's 2025-26 school grades file, dated as of September 1, 2026. Young Women's Preparatory Academy earned an A with 82 percent (FDOE). Booker T. Washington slipped from an A in 2025 to a B in 2026 (FDOE), and Miami Edison Senior High dropped from an A in 2025 to a C with 57 percent (FDOE). Citrus Grove K-8 Center earned a C with 53 percent, up from a D in 2025 (FDOE).

A school grade measures the whole school, not the magnet program inside it, so a Miami family weighing SpaceHUB at Booker T. Washington or IYC at Miami Edison should also ask the magnet lead teacher about program results at an open house.

MAST Academy's own admissions FAQ describes the Maritime and Science Technology school as the only maritime and science technology magnet high school in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, established in September 1991, with a pool, boathouse and docks and access to the Biscayne Bay ecosystem (MAST Academy FAQ). The district eligibility guide, however, also lists MAST @ FIU Biscayne Bay Campus (Marine and Science Technology) and MAST @ Homestead among enhanced criteria programs (Miami Magnet Schools eligibility guide). The same FAQ still lists 550 students in grades 9 to 12 and cites Newsweek rankings from 2005 to 2008, so its enrollment figure is old; the state's 2026 file also lists a middle school acceleration score of 98 for MAST (FDOE).

District bus service for Miami-Dade magnet students depends on each child's eligibility, so many Miami families use the K-12 EASY Card, which gives half-price Metrobus and Metrorail rides.

The Miami Magnet Schools transportation guide tells parents to ask the school's Magnet Lead Teacher or Magnet Secretary whether a child qualifies for a district bus (Miami Magnet Schools transportation guide). Every magnet student in Miami-Dade County, kindergarten through grade 12, is eligible for the K-12 EASY Card from Miami-Dade County Transit.

The guide lists student fares of $1.10 for Metrobus and Metrorail, $1.30 for Metrobus Express, a $14.60 7-day pass and a $56.25 1-month pass, and the $2 card fee is waived for first-time applicants. The same discounted fares appear on the Miami-Dade County transit fares page (Miami-Dade County transit fares). Parents apply at a Transit Service Center or online with proof of enrollment, a student ID, the class schedule and a recent report card, and the card arrives by mail in 15 business days (Miami Magnet Schools transportation guide).

The Miami Magnet Schools office is at 1450 NE 2nd Ave in downtown Miami, phone 305-995-1922, open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed on legal holidays (Miami Magnet Schools). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the Miami Magnet Schools website of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.