Summary:
This analysis examines three elementary schools in Tampa, Florida's zip code 33634, serving grades PK-5 (with one charter school extending to 8th grade) within the Hillsborough school district, which is ranked in the 36th percentile statewide.
Horizon Charter School Of Tampa is the standout school in this area, dramatically outperforming its peers. It holds an 84th percentile state ranking (4-star) compared to Morgan Woods Elementary School (5th percentile) and Town & Country Elementary School (10th percentile). Horizon Charter achieves exceptional proficiency rates, such as 94% in 5th-grade Science and 84% in 3rd-grade ELA, far exceeding district and state averages. It also has a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 15.7%, less than half the district average of 31.3%. In contrast, Morgan Woods and Town & Country both struggle, with proficiency rates well below 50% in core subjects and chronic absenteeism rates of 40.4% and 32.4%, respectively.
A key finding is the inverse relationship between spending and performance. Town & Country Elementary spends the most per student ($16,931) but has the second-lowest academic results, while Horizon Charter spends the least ($8,250) and achieves the highest scores. Additionally, the student-teacher ratio does not predict success: Town & Country has the most favorable ratio (12.6:1) but still underperforms, while Horizon Charter has the highest ratio (21.8:1) and excels. This suggests that factors like school culture and instructional methods are more impactful than class size or funding alone in this area.
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