Robles Elementary School

Robles Elementary School in Tampa, FL, is a public school serving 472 students in grades PK-5 within the Hillsborough district, located in a high-poverty community where over 82% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has historically performed in the bottom 5% of Florida elementary schools, with a current state ranking in the 6th percentile, but there are encouraging signs of academic improvement among students who attend regularly.

The most critical challenge at Robles is a chronic absenteeism rate of 48.8%, meaning nearly half of its students miss 10% or more of the school year. This rate is dramatically higher than the district average of 31.3% and far exceeds nearby Riverhills Elementary Magnet School, which has only 14.5% chronic absenteeism and ranks in the 70th percentile statewide. While other nearby schools like Foster Elementary (42.0%) and Potter Elementary (55.9%) also struggle with attendance, Robles stands out for its combination of high spending—$15,381 per student, more than Riverhills' $12,396—and persistently low outcomes, suggesting that money alone cannot solve the problem.

Despite the attendance crisis, Robles has shown notable academic growth in recent years. For example, 3rd grade math proficiency jumped from 19% to 43% over three years, and 4th grade ELA improved from 25% to 45%. However, performance varies widely by grade and subject, with 4th grade math (51% proficiency) being a relative strength while 5th grade math (26% proficiency) lags far behind the district average. The school's improvement among attending students is a hopeful sign, but until the absenteeism crisis is addressed, Robles' potential will remain fundamentally limited.