Migrating Families and the Challenges of Finding the Right Miami Private School

In this episode of the “Better Decisions” Podcast, David Siddons Meets with Debby Lichtner. Debbie is the Director of Admission and Enrollment Management at St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School. Both David and Debby have worked with many migrating families over the last few years and discuss the difficulties and challenges these families face. They talk about how to choose the right school for your kids and how to navigate the private school system in Miami.

What are the Challenges of Migrating Families when Moving to Miami?

St Thomas receives many new families. These families are looking for space at a school before they start looking for a home. The biggest challenge these days is finding space in a Miami private school. This has become an issue since the pandemic and the mass migration into Miami. Some say it is harder to get into a Miami school than to find a Miami home. Top private schools like St Thomas now have waiting lists for almost all grade levels. St. Thomas does want to keep a small class size and does not want to jeopardize this.

Even as migration has started to slow down compared to the previous months, schools are still seeing ‘migrations’. As many families did not get into the school of their first choice, they are now reconsidering. These families are now reapplying with a local address.

How to find the right school for your child?

Where do you go to find the best schools? The internet offers websites like Niche.com. These sites provide facts about a school but are often not updated. However, they do not tell you about the culture of a school or its values.

Debby recommends visiting the school’s websites and visiting the actual school. You need that first-hand experience. You need to feel or experience the school and picture your kids running around the school or fitting in. Miami offers top-rated private schools that are equal in terms of academics. You should focus on that last 5%. It is that 5% that is not written in any books, websites, or registered in the stats. It is what the community has to offer apart from academics. What are the values of that school? Is there a sense of community, and does it fit your family’s beliefs? Especially for relocating families, becoming part of a community is important.

Does the school offer a healthy environment, and does it for your child? A school is only as good as how it caters to your child.

Neurodiversity

One out of five children learns differently, which is called Neurodiversity. Neurodiversity is now more important than ever. The old-fashioned way of one method fits all, and you either get it or you don’t, is no longer accepted. Schools need to work with kids’ skills or disabilities. How the different schools handle this is important, and as a family, you should ask for their approach.

Additionally, the skill set that your kids need has changed and will keep changing. Therefore education will keep changing. Schools need to adapt to the future and how they teach their students. St. Thomas focuses on thinking critically, problem-solving, collaborating, ethics and values. It is much more than just academics these days.

Proximity to Miami Schools – Where should you live?

As relocation specialists, we have written plenty of articles about this topic. Several areas in Miami are excellent to be close to Miami’s top private schools. There are a handful of neighborhoods that are close to the majority of all of these top schools. These areas are Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, Ponce Davis, and parts of South Miami.

The majority of students at St Thomas live within an 8-mile radius of the school. This means they live in the areas mentioned before and enjoy a commute of approximately 15 minutes. I live in Ponce Davis myself, and it takes me 4 minutes to drop my girls at St Thomas.

There have been parents that lived north of downtown or in Miami Beach. They decided to move south, closer to St Thomas. School life is more than just dropping them off in the morning and picking them up. There are many after-school activities or playdates that parents do not take into consideration when calculating how much time they will spend in traffic.

The Key Lessons About Applying to Miami Schools

With fewer and fewer spaces available, the application system is increasingly difficult. Besides more people moving into Miami, fewer families are moving out of Miami.

Here are the main tips and takeaways as shared by Debby

• Parents should apply to a few schools because there are no guarantees anymore. As a parent, you should spread your chances and apply for your top 3.
• The earlier you apply, the better. You can start applying on the first of September for the following year.
• Go and visit your schools of preference. We recommend experiencing the school but also the area surrounding the school. This will be or is likely to be the area you will live. The good thing is that Miami is relatively small, and most of the top private schools concentrate around Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, and Pinecrest.
• It is all about relationship building. As a parent, you should not just apply for the sake of it. It is better to build a relationship with the director of admissions. Ask the director for a conversation to see whether your values match the schools. Additionally, we recommend speaking to fellow parents and doing your due diligence. Speak with other families, understand the culture and see if it’s the right fit for your family.

More about St Thomas Episcopal Parish School

St Thomas is a private school in Miami, that serves 425 students from PK to grade five. It is on N Kendall Dr, and despite its religious reference in the name, diversity is encouraged. St Thomas has a 70-year history and takes pride in its boutique approach to education. Class sizes are small, and St. Thomas wants to maintain the boutique aspect of the school, despite a long waiting list. St Thomas feeds into the best Middle and High Schools in the area such as Gulliver, Ransom Everglades, Palmer Trinity, Belen Jesuit, and The Carrollton School of the sacred heart.

Applying for St. Thomas

As Debby states in the interview, the earlier you apply, the better. Please reach out to Debby for more information about St Thomas. I’m a parent of St. Thomas, and you are welcome to call me and ask about my personal experience with the school.

• Debby Lichtner
• Director of Admission and Enrollment Management
• 786-268-3304
• Mailto: dlichtner@stepsmia.org