The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Math. The lowest is 76% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Fishhawk Creek Elementary School
Fishhawk Creek Elementary sits on Dorman Road in Lithia, a fast-growing unincorporated community in southeastern Hillsborough County built largely around FishHawk Ranch, one of the Tampa Bay area's largest master-planned developments. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade within Hillsborough County Public Schools.
The school's academic results are a clear strength. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency rates across tested grades are well above what most Florida elementary schools post, with third grade scoring highest among the three tested grades and fourth and fifth grade close behind. Reading results across the same grades are somewhat lower than math but still comfortably above the midpoint of what a parent might expect statewide, and fifth-grade science proficiency lands at a similarly strong level. Taken together, this is a school where the large majority of students in every tested subject and grade are reaching Florida's proficiency standard, a picture that is consistently strong rather than mixed. Multi-year trend data was not available in the state reporting, so whether this level represents an improvement, a plateau, or a decline from prior years is not something that can be determined from the current data.
The student body is large for an elementary school. White students make up a substantial majority of enrollment, with Hispanic students the next largest group, followed by students identifying as two or more races, Black students, and a smaller Asian contingent. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is modest, well below county and national norms, reflecting the relatively affluent household base that has settled in FishHawk Ranch and surrounding subdivisions. Data on students with IEPs and English learner enrollment was not reported in the available records, so families with children in either category may want to ask the school directly about support services.
Housing in the Lithia zip code is priced well above both the Florida and national median. Values have edged down slightly year over year, as has the typical asking rent, though costs remain firmly in the upper tier. Publicly reported information describes Lithia's housing stock as among the newest in the country, with FishHawk Ranch and its successor developments continuing to add homes across a range of price points, from townhomes to larger executive lots. For a family buying in, the recently passed Hillsborough County school millage adds a recurring annual cost to property tax bills, running through mid-2029 and directed toward teacher and staff pay supplements.
The broader district context carries two changes worth knowing. The same millage vote that passed in late 2024 followed a failed attempt two years earlier, so its long-term renewal is not guaranteed. The district also completed a major school boundary rezoning for the current school year, shifting assignments for a large number of students countywide. Families relocating to the area should verify current attendance zone assignments directly with Hillsborough County Public Schools before assuming a particular address feeds Fishhawk Creek Elementary.
Life in Lithia outside school hours is oriented toward outdoor recreation and planned community amenities rather than a walkable urban core. Lithia Springs Conservation Park, the Alafia River corridor, the trails of nearby Alafia River State Park, and FishHawk Ranch's own extensive path network give families a distinctive natural setting. The community is car-dependent for most errands despite the walkable design within village cores, and transit to Tampa runs only on weekday peak hours from a park-and-ride at the FishHawk Sports Complex. The Mosaic Company operates its North America headquarters within FishHawk Ranch, making it one of the area's few large private-sector employers on-site, though Tampa's broader job market remains the economic engine for most residents.
Because this is a prekindergarten through fifth-grade school, graduation rate and secondary program metrics do not apply here.
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