Poll also finds broad support for more responsible resource alignment and renewed urgency to improve reading outcomes
MIAMI, FL – March, 2026 – The Partnership for Miami today released results from a February 2026 poll revealing strong public confidence in teachers and broad support for public education as Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) prepares to select its next superintendent who will lead the country’s third-largest school district with over 500 schools and 330,000 students.
These findings arrive at a critical juncture for MDCPS; while residents express strong support for public education, the district continues to face a significant long-term decline in enrollment that strains resource allocation. MDCPS enrolled 13,000 fewer students in the 2025-2026 school year than in the previous year—part of a decades-long trend that has seen a total decrease of more than 100,000 students. The Partnership for Miami poll showed strong support to better align public resources to best support students and teachers, including by consolidating low-enrollment schools.
The survey of 500 Miami-Dade County voters likely to cast ballots in the November midterm elections was conducted by Miami-based Inquire on behalf of the Partnership for Miami. The poll was in the field from February 11–15. Participants were surveyed by live telephone calls and self-administered text responses in both English and Spanish. The margin of error is ±4.4%.
Miami Trusts Teachers the Most
When asked who they trust most to improve education, a majority (53%) selected teachers — far outpacing parents (30%) and other stakeholders. Teachers also received the highest favorable rating (82%), followed by traditional public schools (75%) and magnet schools (73%). Public charter schools earned a 62% favorable rating.
When poll participants were asked to identify the most important step to improve K–12 public education, the top response was “ensuring well-qualified teachers are hired and retained” (31%), followed by increasing funding for traditional public schools (24%).
The survey also found that 65% of residents rate the quality of public schools in Miami-Dade County as “excellent” or “good,” while 70% rate the quality of schools in their own neighborhood positively.
“Our community knows that great teachers are at the heart of student success,” said Partnership for Miami President Raul Moas. “Residents are clearly signaling that supporting educators and strengthening classroom excellence are central priorities.”
Residents Recognize Need to Realign Resources, Strengthen Schools
At the same time, 53% of residents are aware that district enrollment has declined by more than 100,000 students over the past 20 years. The most commonly cited reason for declining enrollment (35%) is the rising cost of living driving families out of Miami-Dade County.
When poll participants were informed that underenrolled public schools could mean that fewer resources are available for classroom instruction and limit teacher pay, 78% responded that it was “concerning.” When presented with a hypothetical scenario involving two nearby public schools with low enrollment and whether they favored or opposed combining the two schools, 76% were in favor of combining schools to better deliver resources and academic support for students with just 18% in opposition.
In addition, 63% responded that they were comfortable with the Miami-Dade school district operating fewer schools “as long as students have stronger programs and more staff.”
“This moment is a clear call to action for Miami-Dade’s next superintendent,” Moas added. “Residents recognize the reality of declining enrollment and support a superintendent who will responsibly align taxpayer resources to prioritize student success, personalized learning, and retaining our community’s best teachers.
Residents Support School Choice
When forced to choose between two competing educational priorities, a majority of respondents favored expanded choice over traditional funding models. According to the poll, 58% of participants believe parents should have more educational options so their children can attend schools that best serve their needs, regardless of zip code or income. In contrast, 37% felt the priority should be better funding for public schools, expressing concern that educational choice redirects money to wealthy private institutions.
This finding corresponds with whether poll participants thought the growth of public charter and magnet schools was a ‘good thing’ (55%) or a ‘bad thing’ (18%) for Miami-Dade County.
Miamians Believe Schools are Good, But Not Good Enough
Poll participants were informed that “Miami-Dade County’s public school system is among the highest performing for large urban districts in the country in subjects like math and reading. However, results for individual schools, classrooms and students vary widely.” They were then asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “Despite Miami-Dade County’s public school system being high performing, there are still far too many students performing below grade level.” Eighty percent agreed with that statement.
According to school district data, nearly forty percent of Miami-Dade County public school students are not reading at grade level. Participants were asked how they felt about this fact. Sixty-four percent responded that it was “unacceptable.” Fifty percent of respondents said the district needs “major changes.”
Despite the acknowledgement of challenges, nearly 7 in 10 residents had a positive view of the quality of Miami-Dade public schools and 63% said that students are prepared for college and career success after graduating from a district high school.
Miami is Generous and Expects Responsible Use of Resources
When presented with ballot language for the school millage renewal, 63% of likely residents indicated they would vote “Yes.” After reviewing simplified language explaining that the measure would continue the existing property tax rate for five years — costing the average homeowner approximately $250 per year — and would fund teacher pay, personnel, and school safety, support increased to 66%.
In 2022, 71% of Miami-Dade voters backed a referendum reauthorizing the 2018 vote for residents to tax themselves in order to provide salary supplements for teachers and school safety. Approximately 88% of the funds are designated for teacher and counselor salaries and 12% is used for school safety measures including the hiring of school resource officers.
“Our next superintendent will quickly discover that Miamians are generous and believe in strong public education. Miamians support investing in teachers, strengthening academic outcomes, maintaining safe schools, and ensuring our district adapts responsibly to changing enrollment trends.” said Moas.
Commitment to Data-Driven Leadership
The Partnership for Miami commissioned this survey to better understand voter sentiment on public education and inform its continued advocacy for student achievement, teacher excellence, school choice, and responsible alignment of district resources.
For more information, please contact The Partnership for Miami.
The full report can be viewed here.