The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Barrington Middle School
Barrington Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in Lithia, a fast-growing, predominantly residential community in southeastern Hillsborough County. The school sits along the FishHawk Boulevard corridor, embedded within or close to the master-planned communities that define this part of the county. Several area schools share this same general cluster, and parts of FishHawk Ranch are within walking distance of campus.
The surrounding community tells you a lot about who attends. Lithia grew from agricultural and phosphate land into one of Florida's most prominent master-planned suburbs, anchored by FishHawk Ranch, and continues expanding through newer developments. Home prices here sit well above both the state and national medians, and the housing stock is among the newest in the country. That said, values have softened slightly over the past year. Rents, too, have edged down modestly but remain elevated relative to income. A substantial property tax increase took effect in the area beginning in 2025, approved by voters to fund teacher pay supplements across the Hillsborough district. That is a real cost for homeowners to factor in alongside housing prices.
The student body at Barrington is sizable for a middle school. Enrollment spans all three grade levels in roughly equal portions. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students, with Black, Asian, and multiracial students also represented. Roughly a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a noticeably smaller share than many Florida middle schools. Data on English learner and special education populations were not available in this data set.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed by grade and subject. Sixth-grade math and ELA proficiency rates are solid, both sitting in the low-to-mid sixties as a share of students meeting the state standard. Eighth-grade results are slightly stronger across math, ELA, and the statewide science assessment, which tests only at that grade level. Seventh grade shows a more noticeable dip, particularly in math, where fewer than half of students scored proficient. That gap between seventh and eighth grade math is worth raising directly with the school, as it is the sharpest variation in the data. Trend comparisons across years were not available because of changes in the state assessment system, so there is no reliable read on whether these results represent an improvement or a decline.
The comparison data for this school within Hillsborough County's districts was not applicable in the way it would be for a standalone district, and the comparison set contained only one district, so no meaningful positioning against county peers was possible from that source.
Program offerings beyond the core curriculum were not reported in this data. Whether Barrington offers accelerated coursework, electives, clubs, or other enrichment beyond what Florida requires at the middle level is something a parent would want to ask the school directly.
Hillsborough County's district-wide rezoning, passed for the 2024-2025 school year, changed attendance boundaries across a large number of schools and shifted many students to different campuses. Families new to the area or evaluating a move should confirm current attendance boundaries directly with the district before assuming any particular school assignment.
Lithia itself offers an outdoor-oriented lifestyle: the Alafia River corridor, Lithia Springs Conservation Park, Alafia River State Park, and FishHawk's extensive internal trail network give families real recreational access. Civic amenities are organized around the planned community structure rather than a traditional downtown. Transit is limited to peak-hour commuter service into Tampa, so the area is functionally car-dependent for most errands and activities beyond the immediate village centers. The Mosaic Company operates its North American headquarters in Lithia, but the local economy otherwise runs largely on retail, dining, and the schools and services that come with a growing residential base.
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