The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 49% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sessums Elementary School
Sessums Elementary sits on Ramble Creek Drive in Riverview, one of the fastest-growing corners of the Tampa metro area. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public elementary within Hillsborough County Public Schools. Its enrollment puts it on the larger side for an elementary school, spread fairly evenly across all grades from kindergarten through fifth, with a prekindergarten cohort as well.
The student population is meaningfully diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by white and Black students, with smaller Asian and multiracial populations rounding out the mix. Close to half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which means the school serves a broad economic cross-section of the surrounding Riverview neighborhoods. Data on students with IEPs and English learners was not available in what was provided.
On Florida's state assessments, results are available for grades three through five in English language arts and math, and for fifth grade in science. Across ELA, proficiency rates in each tested grade land in the low-to-mid fifties roughly, meaning around half of students are reading at grade level. Math results are similar, though fourth grade sits a bit higher than third and fifth, where results are in the upper forties. Fifth-grade science proficiency is just under half. These figures are close to the midpoint of what Florida reports statewide, though a parent who wants to know exactly where Sessums stands relative to other Hillsborough County schools may want to ask the district directly, as the county comparison set in the data contained only one district and did not yield a meaningful peer ranking. Trend data across years was not available, so it is not possible to say from this information whether results are improving, flat, or declining.
No program offerings were listed in the data provided. Whether Sessums has enrichment, gifted, STEM, arts, or other specialized programming is something families would want to confirm directly with the school.
The neighborhood context matters a great deal here. Riverview is a census-designated place, not an incorporated city, and it reads as a classic fast-growing Florida suburb, organized around master-planned subdivisions and highway commercial corridors rather than any historic downtown. Publicly reported sources describe the community as family-oriented, with a small-town feel that persists despite the pace of growth. Master-planned communities like Panther Trace and FishHawk Ranch define much of the residential texture near and around this part of Hillsborough County. The area is car-dependent for daily life, though Winthrop Village offers a walkable mixed-use pocket a bit to the north. The Alafia River, county parks, and the Riverview Public Library anchor civic life.
On housing, local home values are running somewhat above both the Florida statewide median and the national median, and they have edged down modestly year over year. Rents have ticked up slightly in the same period. At current mortgage rates, carrying costs are meaningful relative to typical household income. Families relocating to Riverview from the Northeast or Midwest are a steady presence, drawn by newer construction and relative affordability compared to Tampa proper, though the market is no longer as inexpensive as it was a few years ago.
Two district-level developments are worth knowing. Hillsborough County voters approved a property tax referendum in late 2024 that adds a multi-year levy on assessed home value, beginning July 2025 and running through mid-2029, directed at teacher and staff pay. Homeowners in the district will see this reflected in their tax bills. Additionally, the school board approved a substantial district-wide boundary rezoning for the 2024-2025 school year that shifted attendance zones across many schools and moved a large number of students to new assignments. Families new to Riverview should verify their current address assignment, since the boundary map that applied a few years ago may not reflect today's assignments.
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