The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Marshall Middle Magnet School
Marshall Middle Magnet School occupies a distinctive position in Plant City's downtown grid, sitting just steps from the historic district and McCall Park on South Maryland Avenue. That placement puts it literally in the civic heart of one of Hillsborough County's older agricultural towns, a place anchored by strawberry farming, a hospital, and a growing logistics corridor along the I-4 between Tampa and Lakeland. Families considering this school are looking at a neighborhood that is actively growing, with new single-family subdivisions appearing across the city and a comprehensive plan update underway to manage that pressure.
The school serves sixth through eighth graders across all three middle grades. Enrollment puts it in the range of a mid-to-large middle school for its grade band. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which tells you something real about the economic composition of the student body. Hispanic students make up the largest share of enrollment, with white students the next largest group, followed by Black students and smaller populations of other backgrounds. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not reported in the available records, so a parent wanting that detail should ask the school directly.
On Florida's FAST assessments, the academic picture is mixed and grades vary noticeably within the building. Eighth-grade math stands out as the clearest strength, with a majority of students reaching proficiency, a genuinely strong result. Sixth-grade ELA reaches about half of students, the next best showing. The other tested grades and subjects come in below half, some well below, including seventh-grade math and eighth-grade science. There is no multi-year trend data available, so it is not possible to say whether scores are rising or falling; a parent would want to ask the school about trajectory and what supports are in place for students who are not yet proficient.
The school carries the "magnet" designation in its name, though the specific magnet theme or program focus was not available in the data provided. That is a gap worth filling directly with the school or the Hillsborough County district, because the program structure and any application or lottery process would shape whether and how this school is accessible to a particular family.
On the district side, two changes are worth knowing. Hillsborough County voters approved a property tax referendum in late 2024, publicly reported as a one-mill levy running from mid-2025 through mid-2029, designed to raise teacher and staff pay. For homeowners, this is a real added annual cost that runs for several years. For families thinking about teacher retention and pay, it represents a structural effort to address chronic staffing shortages. Separately, a major district-wide boundary rezoning took effect for the current school year, affecting a large number of schools and students across the county. Families should confirm their current zoning status rather than assuming past assignments still hold.
Housing near the school reflects the broader Plant City market, where prices have come down modestly from their recent peak and sit below the Florida statewide median. Rents have also softened slightly. The affordability math is still stretched by national standards, with rent-to-income ratios running close to the typical threshold of what is considered affordable, but the market here is meaningfully less expensive than much of metro Tampa. Plant City is growing quickly enough that the community plan anticipates continued population increases, and new construction is visible across multiple subdivisions.
The school's downtown location means it is genuinely walkable to community anchors, including the linear McCall Park and the historic streetscape. Larger parks and conservation land are nearby. The city does not appear to have fixed-route public transit in any meaningful form, so most families would need a car.
For families who want the magnet program context, clearer data on support services, and a sense of the school's academic trajectory, those are the right follow-up questions to bring to Marshall directly.
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