Schools in Zip Code 33547

Zip code 33547 in Lithia, FL, is home to seven public schools within the Hillsborough County School District, serving elementary through high school grades, and presents a dramatic contrast between a cluster of top-tier schools and one that is significantly struggling.

The standout schools form a powerful, high-performing feeder pattern. Bevis Elementary School is the crown jewel, ranking in the 98th percentile statewide with an 88% average proficiency in ELA and math. Its students typically feed into Randall Middle School, a 5-star school ranking in the 91st percentile, which then feeds into Newsome High School, a regional powerhouse with a 98.6% graduation rate and proficiency scores 20-30 points above the state average. Fishhawk Creek Elementary School and Stowers Elementary School are also 5-star schools, providing excellent foundations. In contrast, Pinecrest Elementary School is a stark outlier, ranking in the 13th percentile (1-star) with an average proficiency of just 45%. Barrington Middle School is a solid 3-star school but is the weakest link in the affluent cluster, with a chronic absenteeism rate (30.5%) nearly double that of Randall Middle School (16.0%).

Key metrics highlight the disparities. The six high-performing schools average just 13.1% free/reduced lunch eligibility, while Pinecrest's rate is 50.81%. Chronic absenteeism averages 14.0% in the top schools versus 33.8% at Pinecrest. Interestingly, Pinecrest spends the most per student ($12,483), while top-performing Bevis spends the least ($10,047), showing that spending alone does not determine success. The data reveals a community with high educational achievement and low poverty, with one school serving a distinctly different demographic, creating a dramatic educational disparity within the same zip code.