Summary:
Zip code 33565 in Plant City, Florida, is home to two elementary schools, Cork Elementary School and Knights Elementary School, both serving grades PK-5 within the Hillsborough school district.
Knights Elementary School stands out as the higher-performing school in the area, consistently outperforming Cork Elementary School across most academic metrics. Knights holds a higher state ranking (34th percentile, 2 stars) compared to Cork (18th percentile, 1 star) for the 2025-2026 school year, and its ranking has been improving while Cork's has declined. Notably, Knights achieves better results despite having a lower per-student spending ($12,954 vs. $11,784), suggesting more efficient resource use. However, Knights also has a higher chronic absenteeism rate (29.6%) than Cork (23.9%), which is counterintuitive given its stronger test scores. Both schools serve populations with significant economic need, with Cork having a higher percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch (58.04%) compared to Knights (52.06%).
The performance gap between the two schools is most pronounced in 4th Grade Math, where Knights scored 64% proficient versus Cork's 34% in the 2024-2025 school year. However, Cork shows pockets of strength, such as in 5th Grade Math where it nearly matched Knights (57% vs. 62%). Cork Elementary School has a larger enrollment (715 students) and a slightly less favorable student-teacher ratio (15.6:1) compared to Knights (14.8:1). The diverging academic trajectories suggest the quality gap between these two schools is widening, making Knights the stronger choice for families prioritizing consistent academic performance and upward momentum.
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