Mast Academy

3979 Rickenbacker Causeway

School District

Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Grade

6-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for Miami-Dade County Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 24, 2024

I'm a parent of 2 kids at MAST Academy. The school itself is nationally recognized and one of the top in the state and city, and they love to mention it. That's fine, be proud, but there is more to a school that it's awards and recognitions. They don't offer many elective options for the students to be able to use their creativity with such a high academic load. I think they would greatly benefit by adding more elective options and by switching to a 8 period (4 classes per day) schedule to allow students the extra electives. The campus and building itself is fine, beautiful views of the ocean and a very unique experience for kids. They've been having AC issues for YEARS. Parents get a call home at least a few times a year saying the AC is out and they are working quickly to "fix it" only for the calls to continue over the years, usually when it's hottest outside. I can overlook this when I think about the top education my children are receiving there, but it's happened during important testing and that is a problem that needs to be fixed once and for all. Aside from that one issue, the classes are fun and challenging, the sports offered are engaging, and the homework load has not been an issue for my children as of yet. The PTSA is always asking for donations and then giving back to the school and students, which is great because so many MAST families are able to contribute above normal amounts to the school. They PTSA is not very welcoming though and when you ask questions on the PTSA run grade level parent chats, they mostly go unanswered or ignored. Sadly they only hold general meetings 2-3 times a year and do not even take the time to promote them to get people to attend. They end up with a handful of only a few people showing up, mainly the PTSA board members, and keep recycling through each other when electing the new board for the next year. They are in desperate need of a full overhaul to really help get parents more involved and active with the school. If they would only accept the help being offered, it would be amazing to watch the PTSA really grow and achieve way more than they could have imagined. If you don't care about the PTSA, then this school would be a great choice but if the PTSA is important to you I'd apply to Coral Reef or another magnet with an amazing PTSA instead. Overall I'd give the middle school 6 out of 10 and the high school a 9 out of 10.
Submitted by student on May 12, 2024

-HIGHLY RECOMMENDED REVIEW-Im a current student at Mast and... to put it frankly its not very well made, not to overlook the good however, the location is amazing since it is on the water, the campus is very well maintained, majority of the admins seem to care for the students, and the student body is good too. However, academically this school is incredibally far from good. First off homework, I understand homework can be very useful for teaching however at mast it is not, homework in my opinion and in EVERY SINGLE student who I have talked about this issue to says the same thing, homework at this school is abusive and overly used in hopes it will "help" student understand the course, majority of people who are new to the school that I have met and or talked to have had to quit extracurricular activities outside of school due to the excessive homework and it simply restricts you from enjoying school and your outside time, ADDITIONALLY, the only reason people do not completely fail mast is because students vigorously cheat, truth be told, cheating is so common at this school they use phone jammers, and website blockers in a attempt to stop cheating, but kids here are easy to evolve so this does seemingly nothing. Secondly, the teachers, now there some AMAZING teachers at mast and I am not gonna simply say all teachers are bad at this school because that would be a plain lie, however, majority of teachers are simply not fit to teach high school, they can be way too overly demanding, too aggressive, assign too much work, and occasionally plain rude. Third, the school brands itself as a happy place where students wish to stay in, where students are happy, big, fat, LIE, last year, during the 2022-2023 school year, the class of 2025 did a survey on 250 students to see if they liked the school, 89% said they WISHED to leave mast and go to different schools, this survey, along with the newspaper that was going to publish the survey, was hidden and squashed by the admin team in a desperate attempt to make the truth of the school not be exposed to the parents and future students at mast, if this alone doesn't show the schools true colors, then I have no idea what does. To conclude, its unfortunate to say all these things about this school because I have no doubt there was a time that it was a really good school, but its glory age has long passed, and it is a simple shell of its former self. Well this is the end, if you made it this far congrats, hope I helped
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2022

They don’t teach well. Big problem with teachers, they focused more in giving homework than to teach and they don’t care about the well being of the students. Basically the system is designed for those kids who can studied by them selfs.
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2022

Let me start by stating that this is one of the best schools in the country, it is ranked within the first 50. Teachers are amazing with very few exemptions. Students are challenged and made hard working individuals. The new principal has made a difference and her leadership skills create a wonderful atmosphere. Both my children have had amazing growth in academics. They have a strong and dedicated PTA Board that always has our children’s best interest at heart. The PTA is always allowing volunteering opportunities which makes it great for parents to come into the school. I absolutely love this school, I admire the leadership from the principal, I see the care that teachers have for the students, the administration is always kind and helpful. The PTA is welcoming and ready to advocate. The students are very nice and educated. This is a wonderful school and I am thrilled that my children had the opportunity to came here.
Submitted by student on September 25, 2021

I'm a freshman/9th grader at this school for the 2021-2022 school year. I only came to Mast Academy this year and so far it has been pretty good. The school is a lot cleaner and spacious than I thought it would be. The teachers are younger so they can relate to you a bit more and the teachers I have are great at helping with academics/ extracurriculars, like Mr. Partagas for English, Ms. Gonzalez for History, and Mr. Lacayo for Art. With the homework, however, I think they give too much of it, I know that the school is supposed to be a stem school with rigorous academics, but I simply don't really have a lot of free time anymore. I mostly use my free time to study for quizzes and naps now. If you want to go to a stem school with a great environment and tons of great students and peers, I totally recommend it, but I don't think that you will have a lot of free time if you go here.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2017

This is the year 6th grade opened. My child was unlucky to be amongst the 6th grade 'guinea pigs'. Unfortunately the school didn't live up to its reputation nor my expectations at all, I'm very disappointed. It is completely unequipped to guide kids coming out of elementary; 5 out of the the 7 teachers my child had, ranged from average to appalling, with the exception of wonderful Ms Ruppel and Mr Fahmie who are absolutely fantastic educators and role models. I'm actually considering switching my child to a different school in the future, depending on how 7th grade goes. I hope they have more than two good teachers in the 7th grade! My child adapted well, but isn't thrilled nor impressed with her school experience at Mast either.
Submitted by parent on July 12, 2016

My daughter is a student here and she is really happy about the school. Academic level is great. She is part of the swimming team. Next year two more sons will join the school.
Submitted by student on November 21, 2013

I'm a student here, and the environment is incredible, the teachers and staff are dedicated. Teachers and students are a lot closer than in normal schools offering a more personal learning experience which makes it easier for any student to do good in school. I'm enjoying my time in this school.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

My daughter just transferred from a private school and the academic standards are very high. When you walk around the school you get a sense of high energy and love of school from its students. The curriculum is tilted towards the science, my daughter has 3 science classes this year. So far, she likes it... so I like it.
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2012

I had the worst expirience with the principal and staff at MAST. My child was suffering and being bullied daily at this school. We complained to the school and nothing was done. I would not recommend this school.
Submitted by student on July 31, 2012

I detest this school. The entire educational system is horrible. I never learned anything in this school. Unfortunately, I am not struggling in college. I definitely regret the decisions my parents made, they ruined my high school experience. I would not recommend this school at all.
Submitted by student on July 31, 2012

I definitely detest this school. The teachers are absolutely horrible. To be quite honest, I learned nothing throughout high school.