Turner-bartels K-8 School, Tampa FL

Original Research by School Decision on Turner-bartels K-8 School

Turner-Bartels K-8 School sits on Imperial Oak Boulevard in the New Tampa area, a planned residential corridor in the northeastern part of the city that feels distinctly different from the historic neighborhoods and downtown core that define Tampa's older identity. The surrounding community is characterized by newer subdivision-style housing, and the school's location reflects Tampa's broader growth story: a city that has been adding residents steadily, though publicly reported data suggests the regional pace of growth is showing early signs of cooling.

The school serves prekindergarten through eighth grade, which means a child can stay in one building from the earliest years through middle school. That continuity is worth factoring in for families who value stability in peer groups and building relationships with staff. Enrollment is large for a K-8 building, with the school comfortably in the range of a sizable campus by any measure. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with no single group constituting a majority: white, Hispanic, Black, and Asian students each make up a meaningful share of enrollment, and a notable portion of students identify as two or more races. A moderate share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a mix of economic backgrounds rather than a predominantly high-need or predominantly affluent population. Data on English learner enrollment and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided.

On Florida's FAST assessments, the academic picture is uneven and worth a close look. In the earlier elementary grades, math proficiency is solid, with third and fourth graders performing well above the midpoint of what you would expect from a passing threshold. ELA in those same grades is in a reasonable range, though somewhat lower than math. The pattern shifts in fifth grade, where math proficiency drops meaningfully compared to the grade levels on either side, and science proficiency at that grade comes in just above half of students tested. The seventh-grade math result stands out as a sharp departure: it is well below every other grade tested, a gap substantial enough that a parent with a child heading into seventh grade would reasonably want to ask the school directly about what is driving it. Eighth-grade math recovers considerably from that point. ELA scores across sixth through eighth grade are relatively consistent, hovering around the three-fifths mark. Eighth-grade science falls below the science result from fifth grade. None of these figures have multi-year trend data attached, so it is not possible to say from this data whether the school is improving, declining, or holding steady. That context would be worth seeking out.

Because Turner-Bartels stops at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate and no AP or dual-enrollment pathway here. Those questions belong to whatever high school a student attends next. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, operating under Hillsborough County Schools. Two changes at the district level are directly relevant to families. First, voters approved a property tax increase that took effect in mid-2025 and runs through mid-2029, funding supplemental pay for teachers and support staff. Homeowners in the area will see that cost, and the intent is to address persistent staffing challenges across the district. Second, the district carried out a significant boundary rezoning for the 2024-25 school year, affecting a large number of schools and potentially reshuffling thousands of student assignments. Families should confirm their current address falls within Turner-Bartels' attendance zone, since those boundaries may have shifted recently.

Housing near the school sits above the Florida state median for home values, and rents in the zip code are also above the statewide midpoint. Both values have edged downward year over year in the most recent data, a pattern consistent with the broader softening seen across the Tampa market after years of rapid appreciation. For renters, the cost of shelter here consumes a meaningful portion of a typical household's income. Those considering a home purchase should weigh that affordability gap carefully in the current rate environment.

Program-specific information for Turner-Bartels was not available in what was provided, so what electives, enrichment, or support services the school offers beyond the standard curriculum is a gap worth filling directly with the school.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 58% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 472%

School 72% · District 59% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 54% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 716%

School 16% · District 36% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 53% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 53% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 53% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 55% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 55% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 52% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 50% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 48% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

This schoolHILLSBOROUGH, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income71%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income70%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income48%Higher-income66%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income78%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income73%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income77%35 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income54%Higher-income83%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income78%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income64%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income63%Higher-income78%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income19%6 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income79%39 pp gap