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.
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.
School trends
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:
- On-time graduation (91%)
- Graduates immediately enrolling in college (95%)
- Various standardized test scores (45%)
- AP/IB/AICE courses offered per graduate (5%)
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
- Coed sailing - British Schools Dinghy Racing Association Team Racing Champion (by invitation) - 1994
National championships
- Coed sailing - National High School Dinghy Championship (Mallory Trophy) - champion 1994; runner-up 1997
- Coed sailing - national high school team racing champion (Baker Trophy) - 1994
- Single-handed sailing - national interscholastic sailing association champion (Cressy Trophy) - 1989
Notable alumni
- Jeff Bezos - founder of Amazon.com
- Hugo Black III - lawyer and legislator
- Camila Cabello - singer-songwriter, former member of girl group Fifth Harmony
- Alan Campos - former NFL player
- Vinnie Chulk - Major League Baseball player; pitcher with Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan
- Erik Compton - professional golfer, runner-up at 2014 U.S. Open
- Derek Connolly - screenwriter of Safety Not Guaranteed and Jurassic World
- Larry Crawford - four-time Canadian Football League All-Star
- Alex Flinn - author of young adult novels
- Tom Foley - third base coach for the Tampa Bay Rays; former Major League Baseball player
- Robin Fraser - former U.S national soccer team member; MLS player with Los Angeles Galaxy; former head coach of Chivas USA
- Terri Garber - actress, played Ashton Main in miniseries North and South
- Glenn Geffner - radio play-by-play announcer for Miami Marlins
- Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie - astronaut
- Ben Greenman - best-selling author of Mo Meta Blues, The Slippage; writer for The New Yorker
- Matt Gribble - Olympic swimmer, 2-time NCAA champion
- Tim Hardaway, Jr. - basketball player, shooting guard for Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks
- Sylvia Hitchcock - Miss USA and Miss Universe 1967
- Bill Hurst - former MLB player with Miami Marlins
- Jonathan James - teen hacker who penetrated NASA and DOD computer systems at age 15
- Fiona Kelleghan - writer and editor, chiefly in fields of science fiction, fantasy and mystery fiction
- Debbie Liebling - entertainment executive and film producer
- Ron Magill - wildlife expert and communications director of Zoo Miami
- Roger Manganelli â€" bassist for Less Than Jake
- Rohan Marley - owner of Marley Coffee & Tuff Gong Clothing; son of Bob Marley
- Paul McKinley - dean at Saybrook College, Yale University
- Matt Mehana - vocalist for I Set My Friends On Fire
- Bill Miller - Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Legg Mason Capital Management
- Orson Mobley - former football player with Denver Broncos
- Vivek Murthy - Surgeon General of the United States 2014-17
- Chris Myers - football player with Houston Texans
- Jennifer Rodriguez - speed skater, world champion and 2-time Olympic bronze medalist
- Wade Rowdon - former MLB player with Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and Baltimore Orioles
- Cecil Sapp - former football player for Denver Broncos
- Kimbo Slice - bareknuckle boxer and mixed martial artist
See also
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools
References
External links
- Miami-Dade County public schools
- Miami Palmetto Senior High website
- 05-06 School profile â€" achievement
