An 18-year study of 27,814 students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools finds that attending public school pre-K at age 4 led to stronger third-grade reading and math outcomes, a higher GPA, and a 35% lower likelihood of being held back in third grade compared with peers in center-based care or family childcare.

The study tracked students from pre-K through 12th grade, showing long-term benefits of public school pre-K across the elementary and middle-school years.

While detailed data and exact program names aren’t provided, the piece centers on comparing pre-K programs in Florida and emphasizes higher-quality options.

The analysis acknowledges variability in program quality, indicating some pre-K programs yield better outcomes than others.

The authors of the piece are Charles Bleiker, Adam Winsler, and Kaitlyn Mumma.

At the study’s outset, center-based programs and family childcare generally exhibited lower quality, with center-based care performing better than family childcare; however, Miami-Dade has improved since 2002 with more accredited centers and higher teacher education levels.

Earlier studies in cities like Boston, Tulsa, and North Carolina show positive effects for public pre-K, while Tennessee’s publicly funded VPK did not show consistent long-term advantages.

Center-based care and family childcare students generally underperform relative to public school pre-K, though center-based participants come closer to public pre-K outcomes without fully surpassing them.

The study concludes that Miami-Dade’s unified public-school pre-K system offers the best potential for long-term academic success for low-income families, while still supporting a diverse preschool ecosystem to meet community needs.

All three pre-K types have value and quality has improved since 2002; public school pre-K remains especially advantageous for long-term success for low-income families in Miami.

Elementary school quality amplified reading gains for some groups, but the pre-K type largely dictated early differences, with high-quality elementary schools helping center-based attendees catch up in reading to some extent.

The researchers note that elementary school quality moderated outcomes in reading, showing some convergence when higher-quality elementary environments are present.