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Jefferson High School

Q: Is Jefferson High School a good school?

Jefferson High School ranks 612 th of 838 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

612^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 838 Florida High Schools

Better than 27% of Florida high schools

Summary

Jefferson High School in Tampa, FL, is a large traditional public high school serving 1,310 students in grades 9-12 within the Hillsborough County School District, where over half of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch. The school faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 47.5%—nearly double that of nearby Plant High School (26.0%) and far exceeding the district average of 31.3%. This attendance crisis is a primary driver of academic struggles, with proficiency rates in core subjects like Algebra 1 (35%) and Geometry (24%) trailing behind peers such as Robinson High School (67% in Geometry) and Leto High School (46% in Algebra 1).

Despite these hurdles, Jefferson boasts a strong graduation rate of 94.1%, above the state average and competitive with top-performing schools like Plant (98.6%). This creates a paradox: students are graduating at high rates yet demonstrating low proficiency on state assessments, suggesting a gap between graduation requirements and college readiness. There are glimmers of hope in subjects like US History (63% proficiency) and Biology (61%), which approach state averages, indicating pockets of instructional strength. However, the school’s student-to-teacher ratio of 28:1 is the highest among nearby traditional high schools, potentially limiting individualized attention.

Jefferson’s per-student spending ($9,773) is in line with higher-performing peers, indicating that funding is not the primary issue. The school’s state ranking has declined from the 43rd-46th percentile to the 27th percentile in recent years, reflecting systemic challenges. Located just 2.32 miles from Plant High School—a top-ranked school with a 14.35% free/reduced lunch rate and proficiency rates in the 80-90% range—Jefferson highlights a stark educational divide in Tampa. Addressing chronic absenteeism is the most urgent priority for improving outcomes and reversing the school’s downward trajectory.

1,310

Students ?

28.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,773

Per pupil spending ?

56.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4401 W Cypress St
Tampa, FL 33607

(813) 872-5241

District: Hillsborough

Feeder schools for Jefferson High School:

Elementary:	Dickenson Elementary School
	Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School
	West Tampa Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.1%

African American:

25.4%

White:

7.0%

See top rated Florida high schools

Compare Jefferson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 43rd percentile in 2016 → 27th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (46% vs 64% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (48% vs 31% Florida)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg63%

Florida avg64%

612^th of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 43% (2016) to bottom 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

33^rd of 41High Schools in the Hillsborough

45^th of 70Hillsborough among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	27.1	612 of 838	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.2	601 of 844	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	522 of 807	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	428 of 792	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.4	445 of 774	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.4	405 of 746	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.3	430 of 734	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	396 of 716	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.3	404 of 714	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.2	395 of 693	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.5	411 of 687	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.2	353 of 648	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.2	380 of 606	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.4	387 of 622	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.1	378 of 620	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.4	336 of 587	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	53.2	283 of 577	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	50.6	290 of 563	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	54.4	228 of 477	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	51.8	251 of 487	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	49.4	269 of 484	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

US History63%-11 vs state

Biology 161%-13 vs state

English Language Arts46%-14 vs state

Algebra 135%-28 vs state

Geometry24%-32 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Tuesday, June 21, 2011

I Absolutely LOVE It. Close Quote

Schools Near Jefferson High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)					FAST Math (2026)		Statewide Science Science (2026)	EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC US History (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Jefferson High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	4401 W Cypress St	Tampa	33607	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	Yes	No	Yes	(813) 872-5241	1,310	47	28.0	56.9%	92 (7.0%)	333 (25.4%)	827 (63.1%)	15 (1.1%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (3.1%)	27.1	612^th of 838 public high schools	27.0%		28.2	601^st of 844 public high schools	28.8%	11				49.0	43.0				35.0	24.0	61.0	63.0		$9,773	$1,263	$8,510
Plant High School	Public	9-12	2415 S Himes Ave	Tampa	33629	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	No	(813) 272-3033	2,391	86	27.8	14.3%	1,576 (65.9%)	155 (6.5%)	427 (17.9%)	91 (3.8%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.1%)	135 (5.6%)	78.8	73^rd of 838 public high schools	91.3%		78.8	84^th of 844 public high schools	90.0%	11				81.0	80.0				63.0	75.0	94.0	91.0		$8,739	$661	$8,078
Blake High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1701 N Boulevard	Tampa	33607	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	Yes	No	Yes	(813) 272-3422	1,608	60	26.9	50.4%	308 (19.2%)	659 (41.0%)	527 (32.8%)	27 (1.7%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (5.2%)	29	595^th of 838 public high schools	29.0%		28.9	594^th of 844 public high schools	29.6%	1				43.0	50.0				32.0	39.0	55.0	64.0		$10,157	$1,059	$9,098
Leto High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	4409 W Sligh Ave	Tampa	33614	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	Yes	No	Yes	(813) 872-5300	1,995	80	24.9	56.8%	164 (8.2%)	135 (6.8%)	1,622 (81.3%)	42 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	30 (1.5%)	32.5	557^th of 838 public high schools	33.5%		36.3	508^th of 844 public high schools	39.8%	49				42.0	52.0				46.0	46.0	54.0	70.0		$9,618	$1,409	$8,209
Seminole Heights Charter High School	Public, Charter	7-12	4006 N Florida Ave	Tampa	33603	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	Yes	No	No	Yes	(813) 234-0809	276	5	55.2	40.9%	24 (8.7%)	144 (52.2%)	101 (36.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	2.9	779^th of 838 public high schools	7.0%		2.1	804^th of 844 public high schools	4.7%	25			13.0	17.0	14.0		0.0		12.0	14.0	17.0	19.0		$10,902	$390	$10,512
Hillsborough Ese Contracted Residential Placement	Public	6-12	1202 E Palm Ave	Tampa	33605	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	No	(813) 273-7513	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Hillsborough High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	5000 N Central Ave	Tampa	33603	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	Yes	No	Yes	(813) 276-5620	1,679	72	23.2	50.6%	221 (13.2%)	472 (28.1%)	812 (48.4%)	119 (7.1%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	50 (3.0%)	40.9	462^nd of 838 public high schools	44.9%		35.7	515^th of 844 public high schools	39.0%	53				52.0	56.0				47.0	43.0	64.0	74.0		$9,943	$1,103	$8,839
Ami Kids Tampa	Public	6-12	1730 Maritime Blvd	Tampa	33605	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	No	(813) 248-5091	16	1	16.0	25.0%	2 (12.5%)	11 (68.8%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (12.5%)								(n/a)
Robinson High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	6311 S Lois Ave	Tampa	33616	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	Yes	No	No	(813) 272-3006	1,438	54	26.5	28.5%	695 (48.3%)	191 (13.3%)	338 (23.5%)	87 (6.1%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.3%)	121 (8.4%)	64.3	188^th of 838 public high schools	77.6%		63.4	198^th of 844 public high schools	76.5%	10				73.0	69.0				36.0	67.0	79.0	87.0		$9,512	$693	$8,818
North Tampa Success Center	Public	6-12	8602 N Armenia Ave	Tampa	33604	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	Yes	(813) 631-4426	48	8	6.4	93.8%	5 (10.4%)	27 (56.3%)	15 (31.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.1%)	15.6	686^th of 838 public high schools	18.1%		1.4	831^st of 844 public high schools	1.5%	145	0.0	8.0	0.0		46.0	8.0	5.0	5.0	42.0				6.0	$88,069	$9,579	$78,490

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson High School

How many students attend Jefferson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,310 students attended Jefferson High School.

Is Jefferson High School a good school?

Jefferson High School ranks 612^th of 838 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson High School?

Students at Jefferson High School are 63% Hispanic, 25% African American, 7% White, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Jefferson High School in?

Hillsborough

What schools feed into Jefferson High School?

Jefferson High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Dickenson Elementary School
Elementary : Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School
Elementary : West Tampa Elementary School

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.