The School for Advanced Studies and the Academy for Advanced Academics has a lot to celebrate.
Both programs are part of the Miami-Dade County Public School system, and have 18 students across six campuses who are semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship program.
It also has 38 students who have been named National Merit Commended Scholars.
“This is the most we have had ever,” Principal Omar Monteagudo said about the school’s showing, adding that it’s the highest number of students in the programs compared to other schools in the school district.
If the semifinalists win, they will receive a full or partial scholarships, while the scholars are recognized for their hard work.
Students must earn a perfect score on the preliminary SAT to be entered to win a merit scholarship.
Both SAS and AAA are unique schools within the Miami-Dade County Public School system. They cater to high achieving juniors and seniors in a rigorous dual-enrollment program.
Students can attend class at one of the five Miami Dade College campuses or study at the main Florida International University campus.
The students have to test well to get admitted to the school, must have a 3.0 grade point average, good attendance and a record of good citizenship to be considered, along with their test scores.
For the 2025-26 school year, SAS and AAA currently have 952 students enrolled across its campuses.
“I think it’s a validation of the incredible work we’re doing in the classroom, with the teaching and learning that is taking place,” Monteagudo said about student performance.
For Monteagudo, it’s a testament to how they’re preparing students for the exams and the guidance that teachers are providing.
It’s not just performance on merit competitions where SAS has done well.
The Florida Department of Education named it a 2025 Florida School of Excellence.
Money Magazine rated SAS No. 1 among public high schools in Florida. The Niche website rated SAS/AAA the 29th in the Best Public High Schools in America category.
“[Money Magazine] went ahead and rated us as the number one high school, based on all available performance indicators,” Monteagudo said.
Those indicators are SAT/ACT performances on the Advanced Placement exam, the rigor of the courses offered and graduation rates.
The school has a 100% graduation rate, as well as graduates seeking advanced degrees.
“[Niche’s ranking] is based on information that they gathered from the U.S. Department of Education database, based on student performance indicators,” Monteagudo said. “It goes back to [the] validation as to what we’re doing correctly and how we’re serving our students and how SAS is a dream factory for our students.”
“Home of the Dream Factory” is the school’s motto in its ads and even in its website address.
The educator called the rankings a celebration for him and his staff for all the work that they do.
For more about the school, go to SASDreamFactory.net.