Sunset Elementary School

5120 SW 72ND ST

School District

Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
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 February 09, 2025

My daughter absolutely loves this school. We had a rough start because of our home life which meant not so great grades. The teacher contacted my husband and I for a meeting. We learned that our daughter cries to get out of work, says "I don't know" to work, etc. Once her teacher realized she really is smart and just doesn't want to put in the effort her grades are now above average. The administration isn't to swift. We needed emergency aftercare services. The administration told me we needed to buy insurance before she would be allowed in. My husband went in and got in administration face and our daughter was allowed in the next day. I don't know how the school treats kids with disabilities. My kid is in the Gifted program. Safety is pretty good.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2024

Birth of my son went there for a couple or years and please STAY AWAY. Administration staff is completely horrible, no answers, no support. Security is ridiculous, huge school with just one man with a notebook at the front desk. A lootttt of homework, looong day. Staff just care about making children gifted. That’s it!The only good thing is the dual language education. I would not recommend this school at all!
Submitted by other on December 29, 2023

I am happy with this school, my son is in first grade in the French program (a language we do not speak at home) and he has learned a lot. His teachers are excellent, they care about the children's learning and are also responsible for giving you positive feedback about their performance. When I have gone to the counselor I have also had support. It is a demanding program and sometimes with a lot of homework but it is worth it! The PTA is super organized and in general there is a community that involves parents with school activities. It is an excellent school.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2023

This school doesn't look after the students best interests, just after their evaluations to get funds... They couldn't care less for the students that are not gifted or the ones that can not afford supplementary external-expensive tutoring to keep up with the fast pace of their academics; which are a total fake because it's not really just the school teachers. Not worth going though their fake and tortuous diabolic system!
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2023

I am happy my son is in the dual language program (French and English), it is intense even for a fully bilingual bright kid. The downside of this school is the constant testing. Every week sometimes multiple tests, I mean he is in grade 3! So he remains in a constant state of stress, always being tested, non-stop test test test. The lack of communication from the teachers has our Whatsapp group chats going full-time trying to get the assignments done therefore causing more stress at home. I feel it is really suppressing the creative/artistic side of him, the side that could really lead to greatness in the future (resourcefulness, creative solutions to problems, ya know, the stuff that makes you hypersuccessful). So for that reason I am torn to have him here. *IF* he was not bilingual I would not touch this school with a 10ft pole, they can learn a new language in grade 6 like every other school in Miami. Also because of the nature of the affluency in this school almost everyone brings a packed lunch. So the cafeteria food has a reputation of being the absolute worst. My son also complains about the bathrooms on the regular, this I have brought up with the school on numerous occasions. I wonder if the stressed out kids are taking out their frustrations by vandalizing and soiling the bathrooms?
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2023

The school must be living off of an old reputation because it is awful. There’s a Test every other day, shoving material and curriculum down these kids throats , mostly material over their head. The joy of learning is gone here instead it is replaced with pressure and stress. Non responsive administrators and unclear policies.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2023

The communication with the principal is zero. The school needs a new principal, Ana Alvarez-Arimon only cares about the pictures and the test grades. She never answer the email, if you go to the office she is always busy, she doesn’t care about anything that happen to the kids, she doesn’t try to addresses the problems in a time efficient manner and with the importance they need. Kids been physically harmed in the school, bullied, no teacher, classroom Ac broken etc etc and she does not answer of give parent an answer … it is a shame that such a great school is loosing it status due to the poor administration
Submitted by parent on December 22, 2022

My son started kindergarten this year. He did not have a kindergarten teacher for almost two months. There was ZERO communication on behalf of the administration. It wasn’t until complaints were made that the principal Ms. Alvarez-Armiron decided to email a ridiculous one pager about them trying to hire someone. She had the opportunity to address this issue with the parents at the meet and greet and she chose to ignore it. She has poor communication skills which trickles down and affects her staff. Her presence is not felt in the school because she is a wallflower. In addition, she does not reply to emails. It’s a true shame they can’t find better leadership. Traditionally, Sunset Elementary has always been recognized as an exceptional magnet school with very supportive parents. It’s a shame that the leadership doesn’t match this vision. l
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2022

Sunset Elementary School is a large school with a truly incompetent management team. School leadership, led by Ms. Ana Alvarez-Arimon, ignores parents, even when the safety and health of the kids is at stake. One example: the school has 5 gifted third grade classes. One class was left without a teacher, after she went on maternity leave on the first day of school. So the school placed the children into just 2 classes - because the other two were reserved for a mysterious advanced math program that nobody knew about. There are only 18 kids in those two classes, but more than 30 in the other classes. This often happens at Sunset - leadership will prioritize certain classes over others, and there is very little communication or transparency about these special programs. The third grade classes have more than 30 kids each, in small classrooms that cannot support that many students. That's why teachers are quitting in droves and going to other schools. The principal, Arimon, does not reply to emails from parents. When she does, it's by copying the same grammatically incorrect, formulaic response that doesn't address the class size issue. I am leaving this school as soon as possible and do not recommend it to parents or teachers.
Submitted by parent on August 05, 2022

My son is in the Spanish magnet program, entering 3rd grade. He was in another public school before getting accepted into Sunset Elem, and the difference I've noticed is major. The school offers plenty of fun resources to help your child continue to learn at home. He learned a lot in second grade at this school and is very happy. I like how involved the parents are and the fact that my child is learning in a diverse environment. He has also learned to communicate more in Spanish. I don't think you will ever find a perfect school, but overall, this school is great!
Submitted by parent on July 14, 2022

En este colegio tuvimos más problemas en 2 años que en 5 en su colegio anterior, mucho buying, niños que a su edad saben cosas que no deberían saber ( temas de adultos) las maestras amargadas y con malos tratos hacia los alumnos , quieren crear niños infelices y sin infancia llevándolos a crecer de golpe … tienen preferencias para quien entra y quien no
Submitted by parent on July 03, 2022

This is one of the Florida Public Schools. Parents are involved and the environment for children to learn is great. My son and daughter goes to the French program where most of the ids are already bilingual and are learning a 3rd language.
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2022

I’m currently in coral reef senior highschool. I attended this elementary school and my parents thought it would be wonderful seeing as how the school has always had a deceivingly grand and wonderful reputation. This school absolutely destroyed me. I spent my core years miserable, with no time to do basic things like go outside or make friends. The administration and teachers pushed all the kids against eachother, making us all hate eachother, making us all competitive and horrible towards one another. All of my fellow peers that I’m still in contact with all say the same thing: this school is a breeding ground for a bunch of future gifted kid burnout kids. Half of us have been in psych wards and the other half are dysfunctional, anxious and incapable of seeing value in themselves beyond studying. This school will ruin your child. Please reconsider before choosing this school. I was a straight A student but at what cost? Your child’s mental health isn’t worth the years of trauma and anxiety they will endure in this school.
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2021

Sunset Elementary is a joyless school, and that's something to consider since your kid will spend most of their week there. The curriculum is what you would see in any public school, plus the language component. Parents like to believe that the kids cover more material, but I know this is not the case based on what some of my parent friends from other non-magnets tell me. The parent body is mostly financially well off so resources are usually plenty. I believe privilege is the main appeal for this school. The school says it's international, but ultimately this is a deeply segregated, eurocentric environment with mostly white families benefiting from a bilingual education historically hard-fought by the Miami Hispanic community (in re to the Spanish program). The administration is cold, incompetent, and unhelpful with a take it or leave it attitude. This can make your life miserable if your kid needs extra help in school or just doesn't fit the traditional, compliant mold. We ultimately left after a few suffocating years, the last one being particularly bad with the pandemic. MDCPS needs to take a closer look at this program. I understand the appeal here if you want your kids to learn a second or third language but I am not sure why it needs to be done in such a joyless, unimaginative way.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2020

My daughter just graduated 5th grade Spanish Program and my son just finished 3rd, regular program. In the Spanish program, there is added pressure because they have additional classes that inevitably add to the work load, and they are an additional hour in school. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you’re taking about 6 to 11 year olds, it makes a difference. Because my son is in the regular program, and he doesn’t have the language content class, the workload is less. Like in any other school, there are pros and cons, so it’s a matter of figuring out early-on if your child fits the school or Visa versa. I will say, in my experience, I’ve seen a great growth with my daughter’s academics and feel she will excel in Carver Middle Language program. One thing that is great is the diversity of cultures you expose your child to in this school. Overall I am happy to be a part of Sunset and what’s most important to me is that my children are happy and proud to be a part of Sunset.
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2019

My daughter just completed her first year at Sunset in the French magnet program and is going to enter second grade now for the 2019/20 year. I have never seen her so excited to go back to school. The teachers/staff, curriculum, and the activities are superior to all other schools in the district. I am beyond happy with the education she is receiving.
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2017

Please don't be mislead by the pretty outside picture this school paints. If your child is in the Magnet program chances are: this won't apply to you. But if your child is the IE program, please know that the teachers are NOT good at their job. Is all smiles and nice faces but when it comes to teaching, they are horrible, there's NO COMMUNICATION with parents whatsoever and thats just how they want it. In 2nd grade I never knew when they had a test, what they had to study. Can't wait to take them out of this school.
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2017

If your child doesn't speak neither English nor Spanish, this school is not adapted for him/her. They claim to be "educating global citizens" but they are lost when a child sits during hours in the class without understanding anything (because of language problems). They just don't know what to do and have few experience with it.You then have to fight a lot to make them understand the situation. Some teachers adapt to the situation. Another one didn't and even harassed our child, seen in her eyes as a handicapped.In MIami, many schools are bad and it makes probably Sunset be at the top but compared to what you can find in other countries where education is seen as a national priority, it remains really average. The amount of homework is ridiculously high and you often feel that parents have to do the teaching at night to compensate what is not done in class (some classes have more than 27 children per class!!).Another point is that they beg for donation nearly every day but could save a lot by changing some little things like not cooling the air to the point that children needs a pullover in class.Well, think twice before sending children to this school if you are foreigners.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2016

Teachers are great . However the office staff are unfriendly parents are not made to feel unwelcome .
Submitted by other on May 15, 2016

My granddaughter is finishing second grade in the German program. She is getting a superior education at Sunset and is thriving--excellent teachers and involved parents. She loves school and can't wait for Monday mornings!