The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in Math. The lowest is 81% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Dr. Kiran C. Patel Elementary School
Dr. Kiran C. Patel Elementary School is a charter school in Tampa, Florida, serving kindergarten through fifth grade and operating under the Hillsborough County school district umbrella. Its physical address places it on Raulerson Ranch Road in the 33637 zip code, in Tampa's northeastern quadrant, a residential area well removed from the city's downtown cultural core along the Hillsborough River.
The school's enrollment picture has a notable characteristic worth understanding before enrolling. While the school formally spans grades K through 5, the enrollment data shows students concentrated in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade, with a smaller cohort in third grade and no reported enrollment in fourth or fifth grade at the time of this data. This is consistent with a school that may still be in the process of adding grade levels year by year as its earliest classes progress. Parents should ask the school directly about when full K-5 programming is expected to be in place.
State testing results are available only for grades where Florida administers FAST assessments, which begins in third grade. For the tested grades, the results are strong. In math, third graders passed at a rate that places well above what Florida typically reports statewide, and fourth grade math, where data exists, remains solidly above average. In ELA, third grade proficiency is high, and fourth grade reading, while somewhat lower than math at that grade, still reflects a majority of students meeting the standard. No trend data across multiple years was available, so whether these results represent a stable pattern or a single-year snapshot is unclear.
The student body is racially diverse, drawing from multiple groups with no single majority. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic and Black students, with a meaningful Asian population as well. That mix means the school's peer environment is genuinely multiracial. Free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility is quite low relative to the broader Tampa area, suggesting the student population skews toward families with more economic stability. Data on English learner enrollment and special education caseload were not reported, so families whose children need those services should ask the school specifically about capacity and staffing in those areas.
The surrounding Tampa housing market, based on recent zip-code data, shows home values modestly below the Florida statewide median and slightly below the national median, with values having declined slightly year over year. Rents in the area are running at a level where the rent-to-income ratio sits at roughly the conventional threshold for affordability, meaning housing costs are not trivial relative to typical household income. Families weighing a move into the school's attendance area should factor in that purchase costs alongside the current mortgage rate environment make buying a significant financial commitment.
Two district-level developments are worth knowing. Hillsborough County voters approved a property tax levy in late 2024, which takes effect beginning July 2025 and runs through mid-2029. Publicly reported information indicates it adds a meaningful annual sum to property owners' tax bills, with proceeds directed to teacher and support staff pay supplements. The district also completed a significant boundary rezoning affecting a large number of schools for the 2024-25 school year; while charter schools operate somewhat independently of traditional attendance zones, families should confirm how this rezoning affects any siblings or other children in Hillsborough district schools.
Tampa itself is a large and economically active city. Its downtown growth projects, anchored by Water Street Tampa and the developing Gasworx district, reflect a metro still adding population and investment, even if employment growth showed some moderation in early 2026. Daily life in the northeastern part of Tampa, where this school sits, is more car-dependent than the walkable downtown and Hyde Park neighborhoods. Major employers in healthcare, defense, and finance provide stable economic underpinning to the broader region.
For families specifically drawn to a charter option with high early-grade academic results and a diverse student body in a lower-poverty setting, Dr. Kiran C. Patel Elementary shows genuine promise. The school's stage of development, with upper elementary grades not yet fully populated, means parents should go in with eyes open and maintain direct contact with the school about programming as those grades come online.
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