The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in Math. The lowest is 24% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Shaw Elementary School
Shaw Elementary sits in north Tampa, a regular public school serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade within Hillsborough County Schools. Its neighborhood, zip code 33612, is well north of downtown Tampa's revitalizing core and its waterfront districts, in a residential part of the city that carries a quieter, working-class character distinct from the boutique streets of Hyde Park or the historic bungalows of Seminole Heights.
The school's enrollment is solidly mid-sized for an elementary campus, spread across all grade levels from pre-K through fifth grade. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this squarely in a high-need economic context. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of Black students as well, and relatively small numbers of white, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on English learner populations and students with IEPs was not available in the records provided.
On the most recent Florida state assessments, proficiency rates across tested grades are low in both English language arts and math, and in the fifth-grade science assessment. Reading scores for third graders are particularly thin, with less than a fifth of students reaching proficiency. Math results are somewhat stronger in fourth grade but still well below what most parents would hope for across all tested grades. These numbers are worth a direct conversation with school leadership: a parent would reasonably want to understand what instructional supports are in place, how students who are behind in foundational reading and math are being served, and what progress looks like over the years a child would spend there. Multi-year trend data was not available, so there is no way from this data alone to say whether these results are moving in one direction or another.
No program information was available for Shaw, so specialty offerings, intervention programs, or enrichment activities could not be assessed here. Families would need to contact the school directly to understand what the instructional day looks like beyond core academics.
The housing market immediately around the school sits below the Florida state benchmark for home values, with prices having dipped modestly over the past year. Rents in the area are relatively affordable by Tampa standards, though the rent-to-income burden is still meaningful at current rates. Homeownership requires a substantial monthly commitment under current mortgage conditions. For families considering the neighborhood, the cost picture is more accessible than much of Tampa proper while still reflecting the broader pressure of a city that has grown rapidly.
At the district level, Hillsborough County Schools made headlines recently on two fronts. Voters approved a property tax levy in late 2024 that funds teacher and staff pay supplements, running through mid-2029. Homeowners in the district will see this reflected in their property tax bills starting in 2025. The district also carried out a significant boundary rezoning for the current school year, affecting a large number of schools and potentially reassigning many students. Families newly to the area or considering a move should confirm that their address actually maps to Shaw before enrolling, as boundary lines have recently shifted.
Tampa itself is a large, layered city. Daily life near Shaw is shaped far more by the practical texture of north Tampa residential streets than by the cultural amenities concentrated downtown. Public transit through HART connects the area to the rest of the city, though the walk-and-transit picture in this part of Tampa is more limited than in the central neighborhoods. The city's major development energy, concentrated around Water Street, Gasworx, and the Channel District, is several miles south. Major employers across the metro include healthcare systems, the military presence at MacDill, the University of South Florida, and financial services firms, providing a broad employment base for families in the region.
Shaw is a school that serves a community with real economic challenges, and its current academic results reflect that context. A parent weighing this school should look closely at the school's student support structures and ask specific questions about literacy and math intervention before making a decision.
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