Downtown Doral Charter Elementary, 8390 NW 53rd St.: free bilingual public charter, K-5 plus preschool, 1,085 students (NCES 2024-25), A in 2026.
Last checked Oct. 8, 2026. Sources: Downtown Doral Charter Elementary School, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file and the federal NCES school directory.
Downtown Doral Charter Elementary School is a public charter school for kindergarten to fifth grade, with a preschool, on NW 53rd Street in Downtown Doral: tuition-free from kindergarten up, approved by the Miami-Dade County School Board and run by its own governing board. Its mission, on its home page, is “a comprehensive bicultural/bilingual education through a dual curriculum.” Its sister school, Downtown Doral Charter Upper School, is a few blocks east. Charter schools have no attendance zone; families apply, and a lottery decides when there are more applicants than seats.
Who to call
- Office: 305-569-2223, 8390 NW 53rd St., Doral, FL 33166
- School website: ddces.org
- Applying: the school’s admissions calendar and lottery rules
- Your district school instead: the district’s Find Your Neighborhood School lookup
| Address | 8390 NW 53rd St., Doral, FL 33166 |
| Phone | 305-569-2223 |
| Grades | Kindergarten to 5, with PK3 and PK4 |
| Type | Public charter school, admission by application and lottery |
| Sponsor | Miami-Dade County Public Schools |
Principal
Principal Stefanie Ayo, according to the school’s faculty and staff directory, which also lists Jeannette Acevedo-Isenberg as head of schools for the elementary and upper schools.
Enrollment and teachers
The federal NCES directory counted 1,085 students in kindergarten to fifth grade in the 2024-25 school year, between 176 and 186 in each grade, with 69 full-time-equivalent teachers, or about 16 students per teacher.
How admission works
The school’s lottery rules page says it enrolls every eligible student who applies on time unless applications exceed the seats in a grade, in which case “all applicants shall have an equal chance of being admitted through a random selection process,” subject to the admission preferences in its official rules. It notes that state law does not allow a sibling preference between the elementary and the upper school.
The admissions calendar for the 2027-28 school year:
| Step | Kindergarten to 5 | Preschool |
|---|---|---|
| Applications | Oct. 1, 2026, to Jan. 15, 2027 | Oct. 1, 2026, to March 1, 2027 |
| Lottery | Feb. 5, 2027 | March 5, 2027 |
| Families told | March 3-5, 2027 | March 10-12, 2027 |
| Registration deadline | March 18, 2027 | April 1, 2027 |
Languages and programs
The school’s website describes Spanish, Portuguese and French programs. Its Portuguese page and Spanish page say students who do not yet speak the language are taught first with second-language techniques and move up levels as they progress. The site also has a S.T.E.A.M. program page and an IB program section with a program of inquiry and a school IB handbook.
State report card
Florida grades every public school, charter schools included, A to F. The Florida Department of Education says school grades “provide an easily understandable way to measure the performance of a school,” in its 2026 school grades overview.
| School year | Grade |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | A (75% of possible points) |
| 2024-25 | A |
| 2023-24 | A |
From the 2026 file, for 2025-26:
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| English language arts, share passing | 86% |
| Third-grade English language arts, share passing | 88% |
| Math, share passing | 88% |
| Science, share passing | 82% |
| English learning gains | 69% |
| Math learning gains | 65% |
The full report card is on the state’s Florida school report cards site.
Calendar and bell times
From the school’s bell schedules:
| Who | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday | Wednesday |
|---|---|---|
| PK3 and PK4 | 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Kindergarten and first grade | 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. | 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Second to fifth grade | 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
The school posts its calendar on its school calendar page. Charter schools can set their own calendars, so check it instead of the district calendar.
Where students go next
Charter schools have no feeder pattern. Fifth graders can apply to Downtown Doral Charter Upper School, which runs sixth to 12th grade, through its own lottery, or attend the district middle school or K-8 center assigned to their address.
More on Doral schools
- Downtown Doral Charter Upper School
- Every public school in Doral
- Our Doral schools guide for district enrollment and the calendar
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Downtown Doral Charter Elementary serve?
Kindergarten through fifth grade, with a PK3 and PK4 preschool. The school is at 8390 NW 53rd St. in Downtown Doral.
When can I apply to Downtown Doral Charter Elementary for 2027-28?
Kindergarten to fifth grade applications run Oct. 1, 2026, to Jan. 15, 2027, with the lottery on Feb. 5, 2027. Preschool applications run to March 1, 2027.
What is Downtown Doral Charter Elementary’s school grade?
It earned an A in Florida’s 2026 school grades for the 2025-26 school year, with 75% of possible points, after A grades in 2025 and 2024.
What time does Downtown Doral Charter Elementary start?
Classes start at 8:30 a.m. Kindergarten and first grade end at 3 p.m. and second to fifth grade at 4 p.m., an hour earlier on Wednesdays.
Have your say