The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Math. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet
Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet sits on East Columbus Drive in the Tampa Heights neighborhood, one of the older residential districts just north of downtown Tampa. The location places it close to the city's commercial core and the Hillsborough River waterfront, within a neighborhood that has been undergoing gradual revitalization alongside broader downtown growth. Water Street Tampa and the Gasworx redevelopment are reshaping adjacent districts, and Tampa Heights itself carries the character of a historic urban neighborhood with bungalow-era housing stock and local street life, distinct from the more affluent South Tampa enclaves to the south.
The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade with a relatively small enrollment for a Tampa elementary school. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places it among the more economically disadvantaged schools in the city. The student body is predominantly Black, with Hispanic students making up the next largest share and smaller numbers of white and multiracial students. Data on English learner status and students with IEPs were not available in what was provided.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the school's math results tell a somewhat more encouraging story than ELA. Across tested grades, roughly half to a little more than half of students reached proficiency in math, which is a modest but not negligible showing. Reading proficiency in the third and fifth grades runs notably lower, with the fourth grade closer to the math range. Fifth-grade science proficiency sits at a similar level to ELA. These are below where many families would hope to see results, and a parent would do well to ask the school directly about its instructional approach, intervention supports, and how it tracks student growth over time. Trend data across years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether performance is improving, stable, or declining.
No multi-year trend data exists in what was provided, and the comparison with other schools in the district could not be run because Hillsborough County functions as a single district in the data, leaving no useful peer set for positioning this school against neighbors.
The magnet designation is part of the school's identity, though the data does not specify what theme or specialized program draws families. Parents considering this school specifically for its magnet program would want to confirm the current program focus directly with the school or the Hillsborough County district.
On the district side, two changes are worth knowing. Voters approved a property tax referendum in late 2024 that levies an additional mill on assessed home values through mid-2029, publicly reported as generating meaningful annual revenue directed at teacher and staff pay. Homeowners in Hillsborough County will see that cost on their tax bills beginning in 2025. The district also executed a significant boundary rezoning for the 2024-2025 school year that shifted attendance boundaries at a large number of schools and moved a substantial number of students to different assignments. Families new to the area should confirm current attendance zones directly with the district rather than assuming older information is still accurate.
The housing market around the school carries home values well above both the Florida statewide median and the national median, with rents that consume a notable share of a median income. Both values and rents have been softening year over year recently, though the market remains expensive relative to national norms. Walkability in the Tampa Heights area benefits from its urban setting near downtown, and publicly reported data places parts of the broader downtown corridor among the more walkable parts of Tampa.
Program and course access details, staffing levels, discipline data, and attendance figures were not available for this school, leaving a number of questions a parent would reasonably have unanswered from this profile alone.
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