Every student walking into Coral Gables Senior High or International Studies Preparatory Academy on Aug. 13 will be starting the school year under a new five-year blueprint. Miami-Dade County Public Schools has adopted its 2026–2031 Strategic Plan, titled "Infinite Possibilities," setting five attributes the district wants every graduate to carry out the door: collaborator, problem solver, resilient learner, community champion and adaptive graduate.
The plan, which the School Board formally adopted and which appears in the district's FY 2026-27 budget, replaces the previous 2021–2026 strategic plan of the same name. Its centerpiece is what the district calls the "Portrait of an M-DCPS Graduate," a framework shaped by community input that will guide curriculum, programming and resource decisions across more than 400 schools through 2031.
Community input shaped the plan
Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres said in a letter posted to the ISPA website that the plan grew from surveys, focus groups and community conversations with thousands of students, families, employees and community partners. The district listened to what the community values most and what it expects, Dotres wrote, and the result reflects the aspirations of the families it serves.
The community-input model isn't new. The prior 2021–2026 plan drew nearly 30,000 survey responses, 54 focus groups with 1,128 participants and a nine-session Listening Tour that reached 851 people. The new plan continues that approach, though the district has not released specific participation numbers for the 2026–2031 round.
The district's stated vision: producing "inspired, valued, educated, and empowered students who thrive both in and beyond the classroom," according to the FY 2026-27 budget executive summary.
Strong numbers heading in
M-DCPS enters the new plan cycle with a record 93.1% graduation rate for 2024-25, up 1.3 percentage points from the prior year. The district has earned an A rating from the Florida Department of Education for seven consecutive years. More than 96% of general revenue goes directly to school sites.
The district is also navigating declining enrollment, with nine schools set to close or be repurposed for the 2026-27 year, according to Local 10.
Leadership transition ahead
The plan's five-year timeline means incoming Superintendent Rafael Villalobos, who was selected by the board July 29, will oversee most of its implementation after he replaces Dr. Dotres in February 2027. Villalobos previously served as South Region Superintendent, overseeing Coral Gables-area schools.
That matters locally. The new plan's introduction was posted to the ISPA website in August, and families can read it there along with the full budget executive summary on the district's site. Classes start Aug. 13.
