The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in Math. The lowest is 28% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Witter Elementary School
Witter Elementary sits on North 22nd Street in Tampa, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Hillsborough County district. The school's enrollment places it in a solidly mid-sized range for an elementary serving these grade levels, with a student body that is predominantly Black and Hispanic. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making this one of the higher-poverty campuses by that measure. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs was not available in what we reviewed.
The academic picture, drawn from Florida's FAST assessments and the statewide science exam for the most recent school year, shows proficiency rates in reading, math, and science that are low across the tested grades. In reading, roughly three in ten students in each tested grade scored proficient. Math results follow a similar pattern across third and fourth grades, with fifth grade somewhat lower still. The fifth-grade science result lands in a similar range. These numbers sit well below what a family would typically hope to see, and they are consistent across subjects rather than isolated to one area. Trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from this data set whether performance has been moving up or down. A parent who wants to understand what the school is doing to address these results would be well served by asking directly about instructional supports, intervention programs, and how student progress is tracked year to year.
No program offerings data was included in what we reviewed, so specifics on enrichment, language support, or other special initiatives could not be assessed here.
The neighborhood around the school sits within the broader Tampa housing market. Home values in the immediate zip code are modestly below the Florida statewide benchmark and also below the national figure, making this one of the more accessible entry points in a city where prices have climbed considerably over recent years. Rents in the area have shown a slight year-over-year softening. For context on what ownership costs, the estimated monthly mortgage at current rates would consume a meaningful share of a typical household's income, which reflects a market-wide affordability strain rather than something unique to this neighborhood.
Tampa itself is a large, internally diverse city. The North 22nd Street corridor where Witter sits is a residential area of the city distinct from the downtown business core and the more affluent South Tampa enclaves like Hyde Park and Palma Ceia. Publicly reported sources describe Tampa as having highly variable walkability by neighborhood, with the urban core and certain historic districts rating well, while other residential areas are more car-dependent. Major employers in the broader metro include MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa General Hospital, the University of South Florida, and a cluster of healthcare and financial services firms.
Two district-level developments are worth knowing. Hillsborough County voters approved a property tax referendum in late 2024 that adds a levy running through mid-2029, directed at raising teacher and staff pay. For homeowners, this is a real ongoing cost; for families, it represents a structural investment in teacher compensation that the district argued addresses chronic staffing shortages. Separately, the district carried out a major boundary rezoning that took effect for the 2024-2025 school year, affecting a large number of schools and potentially shifting the assigned school for a substantial number of students across the county. Families should confirm current boundary assignments directly with the district, since those lines may look different from what was in place even a year or two ago.
Graduation rate does not apply to Witter because it serves only elementary grades.
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