Tampa's educational landscape is anchored by Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), which the Children's Movement of Florida describes as the nation's seventh-largest school system. Within that framework, the district operates an extensive school-choice network — documented on the HCPS school choice portal — that includes International Baccalaureate programs, STEM-focused schools, and arts magnet options at multiple grade levels. Private and charter alternatives add further breadth across the city.
At the higher-education level, Tampa is home to two prominent institutions: the University of South Florida, founded in 1956 and admitted to the Association of American Universities in 2023, and the University of Tampa, a private institution founded in 1931 with an undergraduate enrollment of 10,594 as of fall 2024, as reported by U.S. News. Together these institutions give Tampa residents access to research universities and undergraduate programs within the city limits.
School district
Hillsborough County Public Schools, headquartered at 901 E. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa, governs K–12 public education throughout Hillsborough County under an elected school board. Van Ayres has served as superintendent since being appointed interim in July 2023 following the resignation of Addison Davis, and was subsequently confirmed in the role, according to the HCPS official website and the Children's Movement of Florida. The district's 40-day enrollment for the 2025–2026 school year stood at 213,513 students — a decline of 8,746 (3.9%) from the prior year's 222,259, as reported by the Plant City Observer.
In 2024, HCPS recorded measurable improvement in Florida's state school-grade system: the district increased the number of A-, B-, and C-graded schools by 19, eliminated F grades among traditional schools, and reduced the count of D-graded schools by 20, according to an HCPS release. That improvement followed 2022–23, when the Tampa Bay Times documented Hillsborough as holding 33 D- or F-graded schools — the largest such count in Florida that year — reflecting persistent disparities the district has worked to address.
Schools in Schools in Tampa, Florida
Hillsborough County Public Schools (District Overview)
Hillsborough County Public Schools serves students across Tampa and Hillsborough County under an elected school board and Superintendent Van Ayres. The district — documented by the Children's Movement of Florida as the nation's seventh-largest — reported 40-day enrollment of 213,513 for the 2025–2026 school year. Florida's 2024 state school-grade results showed HCPS increasing A/B/C schools by 19 and eliminating F grades among traditional schools, according to an HCPS release.
More on Hillsborough County Public Schools (District Overview)HCPS School Choice Programs (Magnet and IB Options)
Hillsborough County Public Schools operates an extensive school-choice network documented on the district's official school choice portal. Options available to Hillsborough County families include International Baccalaureate programs, STEM-focused curricula, arts magnet schools, and K–8 choice programs distributed across multiple grade levels throughout the county. Applications and program details are administered through the district's centralized choice portal at choice.sdhc.k12.fl.us.
More on HCPS School Choice Programs (Magnet and IB Options)University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, founded in 1956, serves nearly 50,000 students across its main Tampa campus and two branch campuses, offering more than 200 programs across 14 colleges, according to USF's institutional website. In 2023, USF accepted an invitation to join the Association of American Universities — making it only the second Florida public university to hold AAU membership — a milestone the university describes as positioning the institution to compete for a larger share of federally competitive research funding.
More on University of South FloridaUniversity of Tampa
The University of Tampa is a private institution founded in 1931, occupying a 110-acre campus along the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa. As of fall 2024, undergraduate enrollment stood at 10,594 with a student-to-faculty ratio of 17:1, as reported by U.S. News. The campus is situated adjacent to the Henry B. Plant Museum, housed in the former Tampa Bay Hotel — a Moorish Revival structure that forms a distinctive backdrop to the university's riverfront grounds.
More on University of TampaHCPS 2024 School Performance — District Context
Florida's 2024 school-grade release documented measurable gains for Hillsborough County Public Schools: the district added 19 schools in the A, B, or C category, eliminated F grades among traditional schools, and reduced D-graded schools by 20, according to an official HCPS release. The Tampa Bay Times reported these results alongside the prior context: in 2022–23, Hillsborough held 33 D- or F-graded schools, the largest count among Florida's major districts, reflecting disparities in staffing and resources at lower-performing campuses.
More on HCPS 2024 School Performance — District ContextHCPS D and F School Challenges (2022–23 Documented Context)
A May 2024 Tampa Bay Times investigation documented that Hillsborough County Public Schools had 33 D- or F-graded schools in the 2022–23 school year — the largest such number reported for any Florida district. The reporting identified high teacher turnover, staffing shortages, and resource gaps as contributing factors at these campuses. The district's 2024 grade-year results showed subsequent reduction in D-graded schools and elimination of F grades among traditional schools, per HCPS.
More on HCPS D and F School Challenges (2022–23 Documented Context)USF AAU Membership — Research and Graduate Education
In 2023, the University of South Florida accepted an invitation to join the Association of American Universities, becoming only the second Florida public university — and one of approximately 71 institutions nationally — to hold AAU membership, according to USF News. USF characterizes AAU membership as enabling the institution to compete for a larger share of federally competitive research funding, with downstream effects anticipated for graduate education, faculty recruitment, and Tampa Bay's broader innovation economy.
More on USF AAU Membership — Research and Graduate EducationSources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs Used for: Population (393,389), median age (35.6), median household income ($71,302), median home value ($375,300), median gross rent ($1,567), poverty rate (15.9%), unemployment rate (4.7%), labor force participation (79.2%), educational attainment (26.3% bachelor's or higher), housing units (177,076), owner/renter occupied percentages
- City of Tampa Incorporation History | City of Tampa Archives https://www.tampa.gov/city-clerk/info/archives/city-of-tampa-incorporation-history Used for: Fort Brooke establishment 1824, Tampa Village founding 1849, incorporation 1855
- Tampa History | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/info/tampa-history Used for: Ponce de León arrival 1513, Fort Brooke 1824, Vicente Martinez Ybor cigar factory 1886, cigar industry history
- Ybor City Historic District Tampa FL | U.S. National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/places/ybor-city-historic-district-tampa-fl.htm Used for: Ybor City National Historic Landmark designation, 950+ historic buildings, cigar industry and immigrant community history
- Ybor City History | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/CRAs/ybor-city/history Used for: Ybor City founding 1886, 'cigar capital of the world' by 1900, one of three National Historic Landmark Districts in Florida
- HCPS Data Shows Total County Enrollment Has Declined Since Last Year | Plant City Observer https://www.plantcityobserver.com/hcps-data-shows-total-county-enrollment-has-declined-since-last-year/ Used for: 2025-2026 HCPS 40-day enrollment (213,513); 2024-2025 enrollment (222,259); enrollment decline of 3.9%
- Hillsborough County Public Schools Moves the Needle for All Students as State Releases 2024 School Grades | HCPS https://fl50000635.schoolwires.net/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=18424&ViewID=DEDCCD34-7C24-4AF2-812A-33C0075398BC&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=90973&PageID=7943&Comments=true Used for: HCPS 2024 school grades improvement: increased A/B/C schools by 19, no F-graded traditional schools, reduced D schools by 20
- Hillsborough, Pinellas scores rise in new Florida school grades | Tampa Bay Times https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2024/07/24/hillsborough-pinellas-scores-rise-new-florida-school-grades/ Used for: Tampa Bay Times reporting on 2024 Florida school grades; Hillsborough saw fewer D and F schools
- Inside Hillsborough's D and F schools: Turnover, shortages, calls for help | Tampa Bay Times https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2024/05/02/inside-hillsboroughs-d-f-schools-turnover-shortages-calls-help/ Used for: Hillsborough County had 33 schools graded D or F in 2022-23, largest number in the state; documented disparities
- Apply/Respond/View – Hillsborough County Public Schools School Choice Portal https://choice.sdhc.k12.fl.us/ Used for: HCPS magnet and school choice programs including IB, Arts, STEM, and K-8 options
- Van Ayres | The Children's Movement of Florida https://www.childrensmovementflorida.org/business-engagement/bosses-for-babies/van-ayres Used for: Van Ayres role as HCPS Superintendent; HCPS described as the nation's seventh-largest school system
- University of South Florida accepts invitation into the Association of American Universities | USF News https://www.usf.edu/news/2023/university-of-south-florida-accepts-invitation-into-the-association-of-american-universities.aspx Used for: USF AAU membership accepted 2023; first public Florida university in AAU in nearly 40 years; one of two Florida SUS institutions in AAU
- AAU membership to bring extraordinary benefits to USF, Tampa Bay and state of Florida | USF News https://www.usf.edu/news/2023/aau-membership-to-bring-extraordinary-benefits-to-usf-tampa-bay-and-state-of-florida.aspx Used for: USF founded 1956; AAU membership and competitive federal research funding implications
- University of Tampa – Profile, Rankings and Data | U.S. News Best Colleges https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-tampa-1538 Used for: University of Tampa founded 1931; undergraduate enrollment 10,594 (fall 2024); 110-acre campus; student-faculty ratio 17:1
- Locations & Directions | Moffitt Cancer Center https://www.moffitt.org/locations-directions/ Used for: Moffitt described as only Florida-based NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center; one of 58 such centers nationally
- About Moffitt | Moffitt Cancer Center https://www.moffitt.org/about-moffitt/ Used for: Moffitt as Florida's first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Cancer Treatment & Research | Moffitt Cancer Center https://www.moffitt.org/ Used for: Moffitt employs more than 10,000 professionals
- Mayor Jane Castor Stresses Unity and Calls for Focus on Parks, Arts, Transportation | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/news/2025-04/mayor-jane-castor-stresses-unity-and-calls-focus-parks-arts-transportation-120201 Used for: Jane Castor re-sworn to second four-year term April 2025; seven City Council members sworn in; mayoral priorities
- City of Tampa and Partners Break Ground on Nearly 200 Affordable Units in East Tampa | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/news/2025-10/city-tampa-and-partners-break-ground-nearly-200-affordable-units-east-tampa-175321 Used for: Residences at East End groundbreaking; 174-unit affordable housing development; income eligibility 22%-80% AMI
- 10 Projects to Watch in (the rest of) 2025 (and beyond) | 83 Degrees Media https://83degreesmedia.com/10-projects-to-watch-in-the-rest-of-2025-and-beyond/ Used for: Howard Frankland Bridge construction January 2025; Straz Center planned expansion; Midtown Tampa and Gasworx development projects
- Historical Markers of Hillsborough: Bayshore Seawall | Hillsborough County, FL https://hcfl.gov/about-hillsborough/history/historical-hillsborough/historical-markers-of-hillsborough-bayshore-seawall Used for: Bayshore Boulevard waterfront character; historical development from late 19th century
- Economic Forecast 2025: Tampa Bay's Industry Trends to Watch | Tampa Bay Business Watch https://tbbwmag.com/2025/01/15/economic-forecast-tampa-bay-industry-trends/ Used for: Hillsborough County achieving over $1 billion in taxable hotel revenue for second consecutive year in 2024
- About USF | University of South Florida https://www.usf.edu/about-usf/ Used for: USF serves nearly 50,000 students across main Tampa campus and two branch campuses; AAU membership milestone; more than 200 programs from 14 colleges