The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in Math. The lowest is 29% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Temple Terrace Elementary School
Temple Terrace Elementary sits on Flotto Avenue in Temple Terrace, a Tampa suburb known for its 1920s Mediterranean Revival architecture, tree-lined neighborhoods, and green space along the Hillsborough River. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in Hillsborough County Public Schools, with an enrollment that places it in a mid-range size for its grade band.
The student body is racially and economically diverse. Black and Hispanic students together make up a clear majority of enrollment, with white students composing a smaller share and a modest Asian and multiracial population rounding out the school. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well above what might be considered a typical threshold, which tells you this is a school serving a predominantly low-income community. Data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available in the records we reviewed; a parent with children in either category would want to ask the school directly about those support structures.
Academic proficiency on Florida's FAST assessments is low across the tested grades. In third, fourth, and fifth grade math, roughly three in ten students or fewer reached proficiency. ELA results were similarly modest in third and fourth grade, though fifth-grade reading proficiency climbed higher, reaching closer to two in five students, a relative bright spot. Science proficiency in fifth grade ran in the same range as the lower math scores. Grade six math was suppressed in the state data, likely reflecting a small group size rather than an unreported result. There are no multi-year trend data available to assess whether these numbers are moving in any direction, which is a real gap; a parent would be reasonable to ask the school about its trajectory and what it is doing with students who are behind grade level. The comparison framework for Hillsborough County yielded only one district in the set, so a side-by-side positioning against county peers was not possible.
No program offerings were listed in the data we received. Whether the school runs any enrichment, gifted, bilingual, or specialty programs is something families should confirm with the school or the district directly.
The surrounding community provides some relevant context. Temple Terrace is a somewhat walkable suburb with parks, riverfront green space, a public library, and HART bus service, though transit coverage is limited enough that most families drive. The local economy leans on nearby institutions, particularly the University of South Florida and several major healthcare employers. Home values in the school's zip code are below both the Florida statewide median and national median, and have dipped modestly year over year, making the area comparatively accessible in a region where housing costs have climbed broadly. Rents have been essentially flat recently. The rent-to-income ratio sits at a level that is meaningfully stretched relative to conventional affordability benchmarks.
Two district-level changes are worth knowing. Hillsborough voters approved a property tax millage in late 2024 that took effect in July 2025 and runs through mid-2029, publicly reported as generating supplemental pay for teachers and staff. Homeowners will see this on their tax bills. Separately, the district carried out a large boundary rezoning starting with the 2024-2025 school year that shifted attendance zones for a substantial number of schools across the county. Families should verify their current assigned school, as those boundaries may have changed from what earlier records showed.
A graduation rate does not apply here because the school ends at fifth grade and serves no high school grades.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is of a community-rooted elementary in a modestly priced, established suburb, serving a high-need student population, with academic proficiency scores that are below where most families would hope. The school may be doing things not captured in these numbers, and a visit, a conversation with staff, and questions about tutoring, reading intervention, and family engagement programs would give a much fuller view than the state testing data alone.
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