Kimbell Elementary School

Kimbell Elementary School is a public elementary school in Tampa, Florida, serving around 350 students in grades PK-5. As part of the Hillsborough School District, which is ranked 45 out of 68 districts in the state, Kimbell has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Florida elementary schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Kimbell Elementary stands out from nearby schools like Foster Elementary, Robles Elementary, and Sheehy Elementary in several key ways. It has a significantly higher percentage of African American students (53-58%) and a lower percentage of white students (10-11%) compared to the surrounding schools. Kimbell also has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 41.6% to 52.1% in recent years, much higher than the 14.7% to 54.1% seen at nearby schools. Academically, Kimbell students perform well below the Hillsborough district and Florida state averages on standardized tests, with only 13-30% proficient in ELA and Math compared to 49-56% for the district and 53-60% for the state.

Despite spending more per student ($12,867) than many nearby schools ($7,468 to $13,666 per student), Kimbell Elementary's academic performance remains the lowest in the area. This suggests that factors beyond just student demographics and socioeconomic status, such as chronic absenteeism and effective resource allocation, may be contributing to the school's struggles. While Kimbell's performance has been consistently low, its 1-star rating in 2020-2021 indicates that there may be opportunities for improvement through targeted strategies and support.