Claywell Elementary School

Claywell Elementary School is a public school in Tampa, FL, serving 574 students in grades PK-5 within the Hillsborough district, and it has achieved a remarkable academic turnaround over the past three years, now ranking in the 82nd percentile statewide.

Claywell stands out for its consistent and broad academic strength, with proficiency rates across all core subjects tightly clustered between 70% and 80% in the most recent school year. This is particularly impressive given that 39.2% of its students receive free or reduced lunch, a higher rate than top-performing neighbors like Hammond Elementary School (23.5%) and Schwarzkopf Elementary School (22.3%). While those schools outperform Claywell, Claywell significantly outperforms schools with similar or higher economic disadvantage, such as Cannella Elementary School (53.8%) and Essrig Elementary School (44.2%). This suggests Claywell is highly effective at driving academic success for its student population. The school also maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.7:1, one of the lowest among its peers, and invests $13,438 per student, which is higher than many nearby high-performers like Northwest Elementary School ($11,550).

Despite its academic success, Claywell faces a persistent challenge with chronic absenteeism, which sits at 27.4% for the last two years—nearly double the rate of top-performing neighbors like Northwest (14.9%) and Hammond (12.8%). This disconnect means the school is achieving excellent results despite a high number of students missing significant school time. Reducing absenteeism could be the single most impactful lever for pushing Claywell into the top tier of schools in the Tampa area. Overall, Claywell represents an excellent educational option for families seeking a school that delivers strong results with a focus on small class sizes and efficient resource allocation.