The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Science. The lowest is 42% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Kenly Elementary School
Kenly Elementary sits in a residential section of east Tampa, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school in the Hillsborough County School District, drawing from a neighborhood where the housing market runs noticeably below the statewide median and below national home values as well. Rents in the surrounding zip code are similarly modest, with the local rent-to-income ratio at the edge of what affordability guidelines typically mark as manageable. Home values have dipped slightly year over year, tracking a broader softening visible across much of the Tampa area.
The school's student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with a smaller share of white and multiracial students. The overwhelming majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making Kenly one of the more economically concentrated schools in the district by that measure. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not available in the material reviewed.
On state assessments, the picture is uneven across grade levels and subjects. In ELA and math, third-grade proficiency came in quite low relative to what one would generally hope to see at that foundational stage, and parents should be aware of that gap and ask the school directly about how it is addressing early literacy and numeracy. By fourth and fifth grade, results climb meaningfully in both subjects, which is worth noting. In fifth-grade science, the majority of tested students scored at the proficient level, a comparatively stronger result. Whether that third-grade pattern reflects a cohort-specific challenge, instructional sequencing, or some other factor is not something the available data answers, so a visit and a conversation with school staff would be worthwhile for any family evaluating the academic trajectory here.
Trend data across years was not available, so there is no way from this material to say whether results are improving, holding steady, or declining. A comparison against other Hillsborough County district schools was not generated because the comparison universe in this dataset contained only a single entity, which means no peer positioning can be stated.
No information on programs, extracurriculars, staffing ratios, attendance, or discipline was available for Kenly specifically, so those dimensions were left out rather than estimated.
At the district level, two changes are worth a family's attention. Hillsborough voters approved a property tax levy in late 2024, publicly reported as running through 2029, that is intended to fund raises for teachers and support staff. Homeowners in the district will see a direct cost increase on their property tax bills starting in 2025. Separately, the district carried out a large boundary rezoning for the current school year, publicly reported as affecting a substantial number of schools and students countywide. Families should verify their current assignment to Kenly has not shifted, and should be aware that future rezoning cycles remain a real possibility in a district of this scale.
Tampa itself is a large, internally varied city. The broader east Tampa area where Kenly is located is less affluent than neighborhoods like Hyde Park or Palma Ceia, and sits at some distance from the downtown development boom centered around Water Street and the Riverwalk. Those projects have drawn investment and new residents into the urban core, but their effect on east Tampa's immediate neighborhood fabric is less direct. The city does have a functioning public transit network operated by HART, which serves east Tampa with bus routes, though the area's walkability profile reflects a more car-dependent residential character compared to the city's denser central districts.
For families choosing between schools, Kenly is a small neighborhood elementary in a high-poverty, majority-minority community. The academic results in the lower grades are a genuine area of concern, and the upward movement by fifth grade is real but leaves questions about what happens in between. Those are the right conversations to have with the school before enrolling.
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