The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in English language arts. The lowest is 70% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Valrico Lake Advantage Academy
Valrico Lake Advantage Academy sits on Boyette Road in Riverview, a fast-growing unincorporated community southeast of Tampa. It is a charter school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, operating as part of the Hillsborough County school system while functioning independently under its charter. Families choose it deliberately, the way charter schools work, rather than being assigned by neighborhood boundary.
The school's enrollment is on the larger side for an elementary campus, and its student body is genuinely diverse. White and Hispanic students each make up roughly comparable shares, with Black students, students of two or more races, and Asian students all meaningfully represented. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a relatively modest proportion compared to many public elementary schools in the region. Data on English learner enrollment and students with individualized education programs were not available in the data provided, so families whose children need those services may want to ask the school directly about capacity and supports.
Academically, the results are a real strength. On Florida's FAST assessments for the most recent school year, proficiency in third-grade ELA and math came in well above what most Florida elementary schools report, and fourth- and fifth-grade results in both subjects remained solid, though somewhat lower than third grade. The statewide science assessment at fifth grade showed a meaningful majority of students scoring proficient. Trend data across multiple years was not available, so it is not possible to say whether performance has been climbing, holding steady, or shifting. A parent looking for a fuller picture of trajectory would want to ask the school for that history directly.
No program-specific information was included in the data, so details about curriculum model, special enrichment offerings, or extracurricular activities are not something this profile can speak to.
The surrounding community shapes the context for any family considering a move. Riverview is one of Florida's most rapidly growing suburban communities, built largely around master-planned subdivisions and organized around car travel rather than walkable streets. Most civic life and daily activity run along highway corridors, with a handful of designed mixed-use pockets, most notably Winthrop Town Centre, offering something closer to pedestrian street life. County parks along the Alafia River, a well-equipped public library branch, and proximity to the broader Tampa metro labor market are among the tangible anchors of daily life here.
On housing, the local market sits close to the Florida statewide median for home values and has seen a modest year-over-year decline recently. Rents have edged upward over the same period. At current mortgage rates, the estimated monthly cost of ownership in this zip code is meaningful relative to national income benchmarks. Families renting will find that rent consumes a substantial share of income at the median.
Two district-level developments are worth knowing. Hillsborough County voters approved a property tax millage in late 2024 that takes effect in mid-2025 and runs through 2029, adding to homeowners' annual costs while directing funds toward teacher and staff compensation. Publicly reported accounts note that charter schools receive a share of these funds under state law, which could affect this school. The district also completed a large-scale boundary rezoning for the 2024-25 school year affecting many traditional public schools, though families choosing a charter are somewhat insulated from rezoning effects since charter enrollment is based on choice rather than address.
The comparison framework available for this school produced no usable peer benchmarks, because the county has only one district and the relevant comparison set was too small to rank meaningfully. Chronic absenteeism and graduation rate data are not applicable here, the former was simply missing and the latter does not apply because this school serves only elementary grades.
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