Class is back in session for hundreds of thousands of students in Miami-Dade County, and it was back to work for the bus drivers who took many of them to school for a year that has already seen some major changes to the district.
7News cameras captured Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose M. Dotres as he toured the newly renamed Miami Springs 6–12 Preparatory Academy, Thursday morning.
This is a big day for students at this school, formerly Miami Springs Senior High, not just because it’s the first day of the 2025-26 academic year, but also because this one of the campuses that underwent changes this year when it comes to closures and consolidations.
On Wednesday, students at Bowman Ashe/Doolin K-8 Academy in Southwest Miami-Dade got a head start, as they walked the halls and met their teachers ahead of the first day.
This year, the district introduced major changes, as nine schools have closed across the district due to decreased enrollment, one of them being Miami Springs Middle School.
Students from that school are now enrolled at what has been rebranded Miami Springs 6–12 Prep.
The district also ended its universal free lunch program, although 121 schools will still provide students with free lunches. Students at other schools, meanwhile, will have to submit a special application.
The outgoing Dotres is spending Thursday visiting students across the county, including at Venetian Parc Academy in Southwest Miami-Dade, for one final first first day of classes as his contract is set to expire in February.
“Every child deserves someone that believes in them,” he said at an event earlier this summer.
Students at Miami Springs 6–12 Prep told 7News they are very excited to have all the grades encompassing middle school and high school on one campus.
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