Clair-Mel Elementary School

Clair-Mel Elementary School in Tampa, FL, is a public school serving 536 students in grades PK-5 within the Hillsborough district, where over 77% of students come from low-income households. The school faces significant challenges, including a very high student-to-teacher ratio of 36.7:1—nearly double the average of nearby schools—and chronic absenteeism at 35.9%, which is above the district average. Academic performance has been consistently low, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts (24-38%) and Math (30-48%) well below state averages, placing the school in the bottom 3% of Florida elementary schools.

One of the most striking issues is the "overcrowding vs. funding" paradox: Clair-Mel has the highest student-to-teacher ratio among comparable schools but spends only $11,042 per student, the second-lowest in the area. For context, Desoto Elementary, with a similar poverty rate, has a ratio of 10.8:1 and spends nearly double ($21,515) per student. This disparity suggests resource allocation challenges within the district. However, there is a bright spot in math: 5th-grade math proficiency has risen from 20% in 2022-2023 to 48% in 2025-2026, indicating that recent interventions may be starting to work.

Nearby Kenly Elementary offers a powerful comparison—despite similar poverty (78.5%) and even higher chronic absenteeism (48.2%), Kenly achieves far better results, with 78% of 5th graders proficient in Science and 71% in Math. Kenly’s success, combined with its lower student-to-teacher ratio (14.4) and higher spending ($16,204), shows that improvement is possible with targeted strategies. For parents, Clair-Mel’s extreme class sizes and funding gaps are key concerns, but the math gains and Kenly’s example suggest that focused efforts could turn the school around.