The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in Science. The lowest is 6% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Brandon Success Center
Brandon Success Center is a public alternative school in Seffner, a census-designated place in eastern Hillsborough County, serving students in grades six through twelve. Its enrollment is very small relative to a typical middle-high configuration, and the school's purpose, as the alternative designation signals, is to serve students who are not following the conventional school pathway. Understanding what this school is and who it is designed for matters before reading anything else here.
The student body is economically stressed in a pronounced way: a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well above what you would see at a typical comprehensive school. The racial and ethnic composition is roughly split between Hispanic and Black students, with smaller shares of white and multiracial students. Data on students with IEPs and English learners was not available in the provided records.
State assessment results are available for some grades in math, ELA, and science, though sixth-grade results in both math and ELA were suppressed, likely due to small group size. Where results are reported, proficiency rates are very low across the board. In seventh and eighth grade math, science, and ELA, only a small fraction of students tested at the proficient level. These numbers are well below state norms. A parent reading this should understand that low proficiency rates at alternative schools commonly reflect the circumstances and starting points of the students served rather than a simple measure of school quality, and a closer conversation with the school about its specific supports, re-engagement model, and how it measures student progress would give a more complete picture than proficiency data alone.
Graduation rate data was not available in the provided records. Chronic absenteeism data was also absent.
The comparison exercise across Hillsborough County's districts was not applicable here in a meaningful way: the county contains only one district in the data set used, and the proficiency index comparison flagged the cohort as too small to produce a valid comparison.
No information was available on programs, course offerings, staffing ratios, or discipline practices. Those would be important questions to bring directly to the school.
The school sits on North Parsons Road in Seffner, a car-dependent suburban area at the eastern edge of the Tampa metro. Seffner is shaped by highway corridors near the I-4 and I-75 interchange rather than a walkable center, with a mix of older ranch-style neighborhoods and newer subdivisions built by national homebuilders. The local housing market has softened modestly year over year, though home values remain roughly in line with the state average. Rental costs consume a substantial share of a typical household's income relative to local wages. Publicly reported sources describe Seffner as a community experiencing continued residential and commercial growth tied to Tampa's eastward expansion, with logistics and warehousing employment anchoring the local economy near the interchange.
Two district-level changes from Hillsborough County Schools are worth knowing. Voters approved a property tax referendum in late 2024 that adds a one-mill levy on residential property values, running through mid-2029, directed at teacher and staff pay increases. Homeowners in the county will see this reflected in their tax bills starting in 2025. Separately, the district carried out a broad rezoning for the 2024-2025 school year that shifted boundaries for a large number of schools and affected a substantial number of students districtwide. Families new to the area should confirm current attendance zone assignments rather than relying on older information.
For a family considering Brandon Success Center, the practical question is whether this school's alternative structure fits a student's specific situation. The academic proficiency data, taken at face value, points to an environment where students arrive significantly behind grade-level benchmarks. The school's value, if any, lies in its re-engagement model and wraparound supports, and the provided data does not describe those in detail. A direct visit and conversation with staff would be the necessary next step.
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