Summary:
Zip code 33611 in Tampa is home to four elementary schools within the Hillsborough County School District, serving grades Pre-K through 5 (with one school extending to 8th grade), and these schools present a starkly divided educational landscape.
The standout performer is Kenneth E. Adum Pk-8 Magnet School, which ranks in the 97th percentile statewide with a 5-star rating and an average proficiency rate of 90.1%. This magnet school achieves exceptional results despite spending the least per student ($11,634) and having a very low free/reduced lunch rate of 13.41%. Ballast Point Elementary School is a solid 4-star performer, ranking in the 77th percentile with a 72.4% average proficiency rate and a notably low chronic absenteeism rate of 10.9%. In contrast, Chiaramonte Elementary School (41st percentile, 2-star) and Anderson Elementary School (25th percentile, 1-star) struggle significantly, with average proficiency rates of 57.0% and 50.3%, respectively. Both serve high-poverty populations (free/reduced lunch rates of 58.77% and 54.3%) and suffer from high chronic absenteeism (34.5% and 29.0%).
A key takeaway is the "efficiency paradox": the highest-performing school spends the least per student, while the lowest-performing school, Anderson, spends the most ($15,765). This suggests that factors like the magnet program and engaged parent community at Adum drive success more than spending alone. Additionally, Anderson Elementary shows a troubling decline, dropping from the 54th percentile to the 25th percentile in just two years. For parents, this data reveals that zip code 33611 offers two distinct educational experiences: two high-performing schools with low poverty and absenteeism, and two struggling schools facing significant challenges.
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