Bridgeprep Academy Of Tampa

Bridgeprep Academy Of Tampa is a small K-8 charter school in Tampa, FL, serving 248 students within the Hillsborough school district, and it faces significant challenges that set it apart from the high-performing schools in its immediate neighborhood. The most pressing issue is an extreme chronic absenteeism rate of 49.5% for the 2023-2024 school year, which is nearly four times the district average and dramatically higher than nearby schools like Mitchell Elementary School (11.9%) and Roosevelt Elementary School (6.5%). This crisis-level absenteeism is likely the primary driver of the school's persistently low academic performance, as nearly half the student body is missing so much school that consistent learning becomes nearly impossible.

Academically, Bridgeprep Academy consistently scores well below district and state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, 3rd-grade math proficiency is at 22%, compared to the district's 60% and the state's 66%, while nearby Grady Elementary School achieves 98%. This performance gap is stark, especially given that the school is surrounded by top-ranked schools like Gorrie Elementary School and Mabry Elementary School, which have low absenteeism and high test scores. The school also has a very high student-to-teacher ratio of 31:1, nearly double that of most surrounding schools, which likely makes it harder to provide individualized support to students who are frequently absent or struggling.

Interestingly, the school has seen a dramatic shift in its student population, with the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch dropping from 79% in 2022-2023 to just 11% in 2024-2025. Despite this change, academic performance has not improved, suggesting that the absenteeism crisis is the root cause of the school's struggles. There is a glimmer of hope in middle school math, where 7th-grade proficiency (50%) actually outperformed the district (39%), and 8th-grade math (58%) was close to the state average (61%). However, until the school addresses its foundational attendance problem, these bright spots are unlikely to lead to broader improvement.