Cannella Elementary School

Cannella Elementary School is a public school in Tampa, FL, serving 617 students in grades PK-5 within the Hillsborough district, and it has recently emerged as a strong, upward-trending option for families in the area. After a dip in performance a few years ago, the school has made a powerful recovery, climbing from the 43rd percentile statewide to the 61st percentile and earning a solid 3-star rating. This places Cannella as the second-highest ranked school among its immediate neighbors, trailing only the high-performing Carrollwood K-8 School (71st percentile) and Citrus Park Elementary (66th percentile), while significantly outperforming other nearby schools like Twin Lakes Elementary (1st percentile) and Morgan Woods Elementary (5th percentile).

One of Cannella’s standout features is its consistently strong math program, with proficiency rates of 66-69% across all elementary grades—well above district and state averages and dramatically higher than the 15-45% range seen at struggling neighbors like Twin Lakes and Morgan Woods. The school’s science scores have also shown remarkable growth, jumping from 43% to 65% proficiency over three years, which is 10 points above the state average and far better than the 21-44% range at most nearby schools. Additionally, Cannella’s chronic absenteeism rate of 30%, while still high, is lower than the district and state averages and significantly better than the 38-47% rates at Slam Academy Tampa Elementary and Twin Lakes, suggesting a more stable and engaged student body.

Interestingly, Cannella and Essrig Elementary are located just 1.65 miles apart with similar enrollment and class sizes, yet their academic paths are diverging—Cannella is rising while Essrig is declining. This highlights how factors like school culture and leadership can drive success beyond simple demographics. Cannella also achieves strong results with a moderate per-student budget of $12,830, spending less than lower-performing Bellamy Elementary ($13,270) but more than the high-performing charter Henderson Hammock Charter School ($8,680), suggesting efficient resource use. With a favorable student-teacher ratio of 15.9 and a moderate free/reduced lunch rate of 53.81%, Cannella offers a stable foundation for learning that is driving its recent academic improvements.