New K-8 School Offers an Innovative Approach to Education and Affordable Housing

Community and education leaders are celebrating a new partnership.

Miami-Dade County Housing and Community Development (HCD) and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) have recently joined forces for the first time to deliver both quality education and affordable housing in the heart of Miami-Dade.

At the center of the partnership is Southside Preparatory Academy, a new elementary and middle school offering grades K–8 and serving approximately 937 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 18:1.

The school is being developed on the site of the former Medvin Apartments, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidized public housing complex.

As part of the partnership, HCD executed a 99-year, no-cost lease with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In addition, HCD contributed $2.5 million toward the development of 10 affordable housing units, which will be integrated into the new school facility and reserved for School Board staff. HCD will continue to manage the affordable housing units and support the project long-term.

Southside Preparatory Academy is a forthcoming seven-story, mixed-use facility, combining educational spaces with residential units — the first-of-its-kind in Miami-Dade County.

Each one-bedroom unit will feature Energy Star-rated appliances, new kitchen cabinetry with granite or comparable countertops, ceramic or porcelain flooring throughout, and roll-in showers for accessibility.