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Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa

Q: Is Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa a good school?

Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa ranks 719 th of 2240 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

719^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Alternative Schools

Better than 68% of Florida alternative schools

Summary

Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa is a K-12 alternative school in Tampa, FL, serving 393 students within the Hillsborough school district, and it stands out as a high-performing, college-preparatory institution that defies typical expectations for an alternative school.

Despite its "alternative" label, Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa delivers exceptional academic results that far exceed district and state averages. For example, in the 2025-2026 school year, the school achieved a 95% proficiency rate in Civics, 87% in Geometry, and 92% in 8th Grade ELA—all dramatically higher than the district's 70%, 54%, and 57% rates, respectively. This consistent outperformance across subjects makes it a hidden gem for parents seeking rigorous academics. In contrast, nearby Idea Victory, another alternative school, struggles with proficiency rates as low as 22% in 10th Grade ELA. Plato also maintains a low chronic absenteeism rate of 19.2%, compared to the district's 31.3%, and operates efficiently with a spending of just $8,595 per student—far less than other alternative schools like Dorothy Thomas Center ($80,090) or Caminiti Exceptional Center ($64,077).

One area for attention is 5th Grade Science, where proficiency was 46% in 2025-2026, below the district's 55% and state's 60% averages—a notable outlier for a school that otherwise excels. Additionally, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch jumped from 8.44% in 2023-2024 to 39.69% in 2024-2025, a shift worth monitoring. For parents comparing options, Hillsborough Virtual School offers flexibility with a 0% chronic absenteeism rate, but Plato provides a stronger in-person academic environment, especially in math and science. Overall, Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa is a cost-effective, high-output school that delivers top-tier results for families in the Tampa area.

393

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,595

Per pupil spending ?

39.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7705 Gunn Hwy
Tampa, FL 33625

(813) 222-8687

District: Hillsborough

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.2%

Hispanic:

37.4%

Asian:

8.9%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 80th percentile in 2022 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Florida average (73% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2022

✓Above the Florida median (68th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg59%

Florida avg62%

Elementary school

719^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 16 pts since 2021

From top 16% (2021) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

184^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 13 pts since 2023

From top 29% (2023) to top 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

100^th of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Top 12%

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 8Alternative 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	66.3	719 of 2240	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.3	601 of 2258	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	61.3	839 of 2256	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.3	504 of 2240	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	439 of 2219	80.2%	★★★★☆
2021	83.0	357 of 2247	84.1%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	81.0	184 of 1216	84.9%	★★★★☆
2025	65.1	387 of 1205	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.4	233 of 1196	80.5%	★★★★☆
2023	69.1	336 of 1177	71.5%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Civics95%+18 vs state

Geometry87%+31 vs state

Biology 186%+12 vs state

English Language Arts75%+14 vs state

Math72%+10 vs state

Algebra 171%+8 vs state

Science48%-8 vs state

3.0

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, June 23, 2023

The worst school experience ever! Ask the new Principal about huge staff turnover and students leaving in droves. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, January 20, 2022

Horrible management . Decent curriculum although not very challenging .parents obliged to volunteer all the time or donate things to keep up with mandatory volunteer hours Close Quote

Schools Near Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa

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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 ()				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	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 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th 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
Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	7705 Gunn Hwy	Tampa	33625	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	Yes	No	No	No	(813) 222-8687	393	22	18.2	39.7%	158 (40.2%)	24 (6.1%)	147 (37.4%)	35 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (7.1%)								(n/a)	69.0	76.0	70.0	78.0	79.0	92.0	78.0	69.0	65.0	67.0	72.0	83.0	77.0	60.0	46.0	58.0	71.0	87.0	86.0		95.0	$8,595	$00	$8,595
Dorothy Thomas Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	3215 Nundy Rd	Tampa	33618	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	Yes	(813) 975-7355	35	10	3.5	68.6%	14 (40.0%)	14 (40.0%)	6 (17.1%)	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																						$80,090	$9,256	$70,833
Caminiti Exceptional Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	2600 W Humphrey St	Tampa	33614	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	Yes	(813) 975-7611	69	15	4.6	82.6%	15 (21.7%)	19 (27.5%)	28 (40.6%)	4 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.3%)								(n/a)																						$64,077	$7,077	$57,000
Idea Victory	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	11612 N Nebraska Ave	Tampa	33612	Hillsborough County	Idea Public Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(813) 461-6650	1,316	52	25.3	71.0%	61 (4.6%)	394 (29.9%)	853 (64.8%)	7 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	31.0	39.0	43.0	31.0	45.0	40.0	53.0	22.0	34.0	31.0	33.0	35.0	61.0	42.0	20.0		49.0	62.0	46.0		49.0
Detention Center West	Public, Alternative	3-12	3948 W Dr Martin Luther King	Tampa	33614	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	No	(813) 871-7650	26	5	5.2	15.4%	7 (26.9%)	16 (61.5%)	3 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Lavoy Exceptional Center	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	4410 W Main St	Tampa	33607	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	Yes	(813) 872-5285	42	11	3.8	40.5%	15 (35.7%)	8 (19.0%)	16 (38.1%)	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.8%)								(n/a)																						$78,923	$12,162	$66,760
Medical Academy At D.W. Waters	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	2704 N Highland Ave	Tampa	33602	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	No	No	(813) 233-2655	95	7	14.6	57.9%	11 (11.6%)	31 (32.6%)	45 (47.4%)	2 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	4 (4.2%)								(n/a)							63.0	62.0									67.0	61.0	100.0	81.0		$24,865	$2,741	$22,124
Hillsborough Virtual Franchise High School	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	2704 N Highland Ave	Tampa	33602	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	Yes	No	(813) 272-4362	3	0			1 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Hillsborough Virt Instr Prgs	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	2704 N Highland Ave	Tampa	33602	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	Yes	No	(813) 272-4362	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Hillsborough Virtual School	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	2704 N Highland Ave	Tampa	33602	Hillsborough County	Hillsborough	No	No	Yes	No	(813) 272-4362	491	48	10.1	9.4%	186 (37.9%)	76 (15.5%)	164 (33.4%)	15 (3.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (9.6%)								(n/a)	64.0	50.0	71.0	85.0	67.0	78.0	79.0	60.0	27.0	35.0	46.0	46.0	58.0	62.0	54.0	58.0	44.0	49.0	80.0	90.0	89.0	$20,042	$1,099	$18,942

Frequently Asked Questions about Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa

What district is Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa in?

Hillsborough

What is the racial makeup of Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa?

Students at Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa are 40% White, 37% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 6% African American.

Is Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa a good school?

Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa ranks 719^th of 2240 Florida alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa?

In the 2024-25 school year, 393 students attended Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa.

Rate Plato Collegiate Academy Tampa!

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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.