Raymond Sands

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT RAYMOND SANDS

Raymond J. Sands Jr, alumnus and proud Principal of Miami Central Senior High School, stands as one of the most influential and forward thinking educational leaders in Miami Dade County. He is the current semi finalist for the Central Region Principal of the Year in Miami Dade County Public Schools. His return to lead his alma mater sparked a powerful academic and cultural resurgence that continues to reshape the Miami Central experience.Under his leadership, Miami Central has earned consecutive B School ratings and is advancing with purpose toward Operation A, the school’s strategic vision to become an A rated institution. The school has demonstrated documented growth in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, while improving graduation outcomes and significantly increasing Career and Technical Education certification rates. Principal Sands has cultivated a school environment centered on academic excellence, opportunity, and a renewed sense of Rocket pride.Principal Sands is the creator of ROC Basel in conjunction with the SoFlo Liberty City Youth Arts Fair, the Community Collaboration Exchange, and the Beautiful Game Project. First launched in 2024 and returning in December 2025, ROC Basel has become a defining cultural experience for Miami Central. The event elevates student creativity, celebrates artistic expression, and strengthens connections between the school, families, alumni, and Miami’s broader arts community. It reflects Principal Sands’s belief that a comprehensive high school must develop intellect, creativity, and identity.Over the past four years, Principal Sands has demonstrated unwavering commitment to service throughout Miami’s urban core. His work includes service at the Camillus House, support for the Freedom Lab Thanksgiving outreach initiative with the Eat Well Exchange, participation in citywide food distributions, leadership of the Seventeenth Avenue Corridor Cleanup through the new chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, and homeless outreach in the Overtown and Wynwood areas.Guided by discipline, compassion, and deep love for the community that shaped him, Raymond J. Sands Jr. continues to elevate Miami Central and exemplify transformative leadership in public education.