EdCircuit StaffNew Master-Planned Community to Offer Esteemed K-5 Charter School as a Part of its Vibrant Residential Community
Miami, FL. (September 7, 2023) – Mater Academy is proud to announce its future campus, Mater Academy SoLé Mia, a K-5 charter school that will be located in North Miami’s vibrant SoLé Mia development. Mater Academy anticipates the 90,000 square-foot school will open its doors in the fall of 2025 for total enrollment of up to 1,500 students over two phases. The charter school, like all Mater schools, is committed to providing high-quality education to students, with a focus on academic excellence and personal growth.
The new state-of-the-art facility will feature modern classrooms, advanced technology, and ample green space, ensuring that students have everything they need to succeed academically and build the hard and soft skills necessary for establishing a firm and robust educational groundwork. The school is designed to foster a sense of community and belonging, with a strong emphasis on student engagement and personalized learning.
“With over 25 years of illustrious history, Mater Academy has been dedicated to providing top-tier education in Florida,” said Roberto Blanch, President of Mater Academy. “Our commitment to being a leader in education, alongside outpacing trends in both education and facility design, ensures we effectively serve the community. Our aim is to ignite the potential in every student, and we are confident that our Mater Academy SoLé Mia campus will exemplify this high standard.”
Mater Academy SoLé Mia will offer a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for success in college and beyond. The school places a strong emphasis on advanced STEM academics, with a comprehensive program that includes courses in science, technology, engineering, and math. The school will take advantage of its lush surroundings and proximity to Oleta River State Park to expose students to natural sciences. Students will also have access to a range of extracurricular activities, including sports, arts, and clubs, providing opportunities for personal growth and development. Graduating fifth graders will have the opportunity to continue their education within the Mater network at nearby high-performing Mater schools such as Mater Academy Biscayne Middle and High School.
“The announcement of Mater Academy SoLé Mia is a significant milestone for SoLé Mia,” said Richard LeFrak, Chairman and CEO of LeFrak. “We are proud to be a part of this project, which will provide a world-class education to students in the area and contribute to the continued growth and development of the community.”
“Excellent academic institutions are essential to the vibrant, resilient place-making. The residents of SoLé Mia, as well as the doctors, nurses and administrators of the future University of Miami’s UHealth Medical Center, will benefit from having Mater Academy join our community,” said Jackie Soffer, Chairman and CEO of Turnberry. “For the students at Mater Academy who live at SoLé Mia, the simple pleasure of walking to school in the mornings will be an everyday reality.”
As SoLé Mia’s residential population continues to grow, Mater Academy will directly support the neighborhood’s expanding student body with top-notch education close to home. Spanning 184 acres, SoLé Mia sits between Biscayne Boulevard and Biscayne Bay nearby Oleta River State Park, where more than one thousand occupants currently reside at the completed residential buildings – The Shoreline, Villa SoLé and Villa Laguna – and enjoy the development’s spacious, holistic amenities. As a city within a city, the addition of Mater Academy to SoLé Mia solidifies the development as a walkable destination that prioritizes wellness, convenience, and the growth of the surrounding community.
ABOUT SOLE MIA
Set on 184 acres between Biscayne Boulevard and Biscayne Bay and overlooking the lush mangroves and greenery of nearby Oleta River State Park, SoLé Mia is a fast-growing, master-planned community that is reimagining how luxury residences, nature, wellness, recreation, shopping, and dining come together to create an unparalleled lifestyle. Its location – just minutes from Miami Beach and downtown Miami, and moments from Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura and Florida International University – is a unique and serene tropical oasis with a seamless connection to Miami’s greater metropolitan area, with its vast array of business, educational and cultural advantages. Life at SoLé Mia revolves around resort-style amenities including the pristine, sandy beaches of Laguna SoLé, a seven-acre, swimmable freshwater lagoon; SoLé Mia Square, a one-acre park with iconic playground structures designed by Kompan; Reserve Padel offering both padel and pickleball; a 17,500-square-foot dog park; and eight miles of jogging and bike paths throughout its 37 acres of lushly landscaped open space. Over a thousand residents currently reside at The Shoreline, Villa Laguna and Villa Sole, and forthcoming residential buildings include ONE Park Tower and 2400 Laguna Circle. The community will also include the charter school, Mater Academy, as well as University of Miami Medical Center’s UHealth, a 363,000-square-foot, world-class ambulatory medical facility slated to open in 2025, about which Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said, “This gem in the making demonstrates a commitment to a community that is all about healthy lifestyle and one now anchored by a world-class health institution.” The $4 billion master-planned neighborhood is a collaboration between LeFrak and Turnberry, two of the nation’s most respected residential and mixed-use developers. At full completion, SoLé Mia will have 4,390 residential units and 1.5 million square feet of commercial activity.
