The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Math. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lomax Magnet Elementary School
Lomax Magnet Elementary sits on Tampa's east side, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade within the Hillsborough County school district. Its enrollment is small relative to many Tampa elementary schools, and it draws a student body that is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of Hispanic and other students. A very substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-poverty population by any measure. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs was not reported in what was available, so parents with children in either category would want to ask the school directly about those supports.
Florida's FAST assessments were administered in the most recent school year, and results were reported for third through fifth grade in both math and ELA, and for fifth grade in science. Math proficiency across the three tested grades ranged from roughly half of students to just under half, with third and fifth grade sitting close together and fourth grade a bit lower. ELA results follow a similar pattern: third grade sits below half of students reaching proficiency, while fourth grade reaches just above half and fifth grade lands in between. The fifth-grade science result is noticeably lower, with roughly a third of students scoring proficient. Taken together, these numbers sit below what one would hope to see from a school carrying a magnet designation, and parents should ask the school what instructional approaches and supports are in place, particularly in science. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say from the data whether performance is improving, flat, or declining.
The school carries a magnet label in its name, though the data provided did not specify the magnet program theme or focus area. No program details were available, so families should ask the school directly what the magnet strand offers and whether enrollment is competitive or open. Graduation rates and AP or dual-credit data do not apply here, as Lomax serves only elementary grades.
The neighborhood around North 26th Street in Tampa is a working residential area east of downtown, distinct from the more affluent or heavily marketed districts like Hyde Park or Palma Ceia. Housing values in the zip code are meaningfully below the Florida statewide benchmark, and rents have also come down modestly year over year. For a family considering proximity as a factor, this part of Tampa is not a high-cost area, though national affordability pressures from mortgage rates remain. Tampa itself is in an active growth phase centered on downtown and adjacent areas like Water Street and the emerging Gasworx district connecting Ybor City and Channelside, but those developments are some distance from this school's immediate neighborhood and are aimed at a different market.
At the district level, Hillsborough County voters approved a one-mill property tax levy in late 2024, publicly reported as running from mid-2025 through mid-2029, designed to raise teacher and support staff pay. This is a direct cost for homeowners and a structural change in how the district funds compensation, which families who own property in the county will see on their tax bills. Separately, the district carried out a significant boundary rezoning for the current school year, affecting a large number of schools across the county; families should confirm their current assignment status directly with the district.
For a parent evaluating Lomax, the picture that emerges is a small, high-poverty urban elementary school where current state assessment results are below the midline across tested subjects and grades, with science as the softest area. The magnet identity raises reasonable questions about what specialized programming is on offer and whether that translates into outcomes the data has not yet captured. Those conversations belong with the school itself.
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