Homestead Senior High Will Have Charter School on Campus

Homestead Senior High School students may soon see students participating in the School of Hope program.

During a recent meeting, the Miami-Dade County School Board approved an agreement allowing the New York-based charter company Success Academy, supported by Miami native Ken Griffin, to operate classrooms in five district high schools, including Homestead.

The agreement allows Success Academy to co-locate at Hialeah-Miami Lakes, Homestead, Miami Jackson, North Miami and Westland Hialeah high schools. The company will enroll an initial 1,400 students across the five campuses beginning in August 2027.

Charter schools are well known in Miami-Dade, but this agreement offers a new approach. Instead of opening a separate campus, Success Academy will operate inside existing district schools, sharing facilities such as classrooms, cafeterias and common areas.

The arrangement makes Success Academy the first state-authorized “Hope Operator” to reach a co-location agreement with Miami-Dade, an “A”-rated district that serves more than 300,000 students.

With Florida charter schools, funding follows the student. Each student who enrolls in Success Academy will bring state per-pupil dollars, redirecting funding away from the district.

Success Academy will pay Miami-Dade $700 per student to cover shared costs like custodial services and cafeteria use, according to the agreement.

Supporters of charter schools say the policy encourages school improvement and offers more options for families, especially in districts with underperforming schools. Those opposed say it weakens local control and directs public funding away from traditional public schools.