Miami-Dade School District Unveils A ‘New Kind Of Campus ’ Complete With Educator Housing

Southside Preparatory Academy in Brickell, Florida, combines educational facilities and affordable housing for teachers and school staff.

Miami-Dade County schools announced the “new kind of campus” Sep. 24. The seven-story campus building at 945 SW 3rd Avenue can hold up to 610 students and includes ten one-bedroom studio apartments for educators. Residences have separate entrances from classrooms, which occupy the third through seventh levels.

The campus apartments will be rented via Miami-Dade Public Housing beginning mid-November 2025. A lottery system will be used to determine residents due to anticipated high demand. Miami has often been named one of the country’s most expensive cities to live. As a result, the subsidized rental units at Southside Preparatory Academy will be an attractive bargain for civil servants. Starting teachers stand to benefit significantly. 

School district officials described the project as meeting several community needs at once.

Raul F. Perez, chief facilities design and construction officer for Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), said the building permits educators “to live, work, and play all in the same location.”  

Commissioner Eileen Higgins said, “We also have a lack of affordable housing. The county and the school system partnered, and we’re solving all of these community needs with one project.” 

The over-$35 million project was funded through a bond and through partnerships across the school district, county public housing and community development agencies. Officials said this is the first of many more projects under consideration in Miami-Dade.

Similarly, several California  school districts including San Francisco Unified, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, and others are erecting teacher housing projects. 

The 231 Grant Avenue project in Palo Alto is one of the projects that is further along. Grant Avenue is a 110-unit affordable housing development for educators, school district staff, and their families. The campus construction is led by developers Abode Communities alongside Mercy Housing California, with support from Meta and several local school districts.  

The units will range from studios to two-bedroom apartments, priced for households earning between 60% and 140% of the Area Median Income. Meanwhile, San Francisco has also pushed forward with educator housing. The city has approved over 135 new affordable homes for teachers, aides, and early childhood educators through two housing developments.

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