MONROE COUNTY, Fla. — There was an open house on Tuesday at Key Largo, an A-rated public elementary and middle school in the Monroe County School District.
Darren Pais, the Key Largo principal since 2021, was preparing his team for the first day of the 2025-26 school year on Wednesday.
Kyle Harrison, a first-grade teacher at Key Largo, told parents at the open house about the plan for her next group of students.
“Reading is a big thing in first grade, so teaching them those strategies so they can learn to read on their own, just making sure they are the ones in charge of their learning,” Harrison said.
Keeping up morale hasn’t been easy. Pais said he has had to make staffing cuts over the years due to a decline in students.
Pais isn’t alone. It has been the trend for other public schools in Florida, where school choice programs are motivating more parents to transfer their kids to charter and private schools.
Also on Tuesday in Monroe County, students returned to class at two of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami Schools: The Basilica School of St. Mary Star of the Sea, at 700 Truman Ave., in Key West, and the Justin Martyr Pre-School, at 105500 Overseas Highway, in Key Largo.
The Archdiocese of Miami Schools, which also supports 40 schools in Miami-Dade County and 26 in Broward County, reported an increase of about 800 students as part of a 5-year trend.
The Monroe County School District oversees 15 other schools, including six charter schools. Here is the list:
Coral Shores
High School
89901 Old Highway
Tavernier, FL 33070
305-853-3222
Key West
High School
2100 Flagler Ave.
Key West, FL 33040
305-293-1549
Marathon
Middle-High School
350 Sombrero Beach Road
Marathon, FL 33050
305-289-2480
Horace O’Bryant
Elementary-Middle School (K-8)
1105 Leon St.
Key West, FL 33040
305-296-5628
Key Largo
Elementary-Middle School (K-8)
104801 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, FL 33037
305-453-1255
Plantation Key School
Elementary-Middle School (K-8)
100 Lake Road
Tavernier, FL 33070
305-853-3281
Sugarloaf School
Elementary-Middle School (K-8)
255 Crane Boulevard
Upper Sugarloaf Key, FL 33042
305-745-3282
Poinciana
Elementary School
1407 Kennedy Drive
Key West, FL 33040
305-293-1630
Gerald Adams
Elementary School
5855 College Road
Stock Island, Key West, FL 33040
305-293-1609
Stanley Switlik
Elementary School
3400 Overseas Highway
Marathon, FL 33050
305-289-2490
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Somerset Academy
Charter High School
1908 Flagler Ave.
Key West, FL 33040
305-296-5927
May Sands Montessori
Charter Elementary and Middle School (K-8)
1400 United St., #110
Key West, FL 33040
305-293-1400
Sigsbee
Charter Elementary-Middle School (K-8)
939 Felton Road
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-1861
Treasure Village Montessori
Charter Elementary-Middle School (K-8)
86731 Overseas Highway
Islamorada, FL 33036
305-852-3482
Ocean Studies
Charter Elementary School (K-6)
100360 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, FL 33037
305-852-7700
Big Pine Academy
Charter Elementary School
30220 Overseas Highway
Big Pine Key, FL 33043
305-872-1266
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