Public Schools — Tampa, Florida

Hillsborough County Public Schools, the nation's seventh-largest district, operates 305 schools serving approximately 224,000 students across Tampa and the surrounding county.

District Overview

Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) is the governing body for all K-12 public education serving Tampa and the broader county. Headquartered at 901 E. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa, HCPS is described by the Children's Movement of Florida as the nation's seventh-largest school system. As of the 2025-2026 academic year, the district operates 305 schools spanning elementary, middle, high school, and charter categories, according to U.S. News and Florida Schools.

Schools within Tampa city limits include a mix of district-operated neighborhood schools and charter institutions serving grades K-12. The district's geographic scope extends beyond the city itself to encompass the full county, meaning some HCPS-operated schools are located in unincorporated Hillsborough County communities rather than within Tampa's municipal boundaries.

Enrollment and School Performance Grades

As of the 2025-2026 school year, HCPS enrolled approximately 224,152 students, according to U.S. News (January 2026). Earlier 40-day enrollment data published by the Plant City Observer placed 2025-2026 enrollment at 213,513, compared to 222,259 for 2024-2025 — a reported decline of approximately 3.9 percent year-over-year.

Florida's Department of Education releases annual school performance grades. For 2024-2025, the Tampa Beacon and WTSP reported that HCPS earned an overall district grade of B. The breakdown across the district's 305 schools showed 88 schools rated A, 52 rated B, 115 rated C, 16 rated D, and 2 rated F — with Walton Academy charter identified as one of the F-rated schools. These grades were released in July 2025.

This represents a measurable improvement from recent years. A 2024 HCPS official release documented that the district increased the number of A-, B-, and C-rated schools by 19, reduced D-rated schools by 20, and had no F-graded traditional public schools. The Tampa Bay Times reported in July 2024 that Hillsborough saw fewer D and F schools in that cycle. Earlier, a May 2024 Tampa Bay Times investigation documented that Hillsborough County had 33 schools graded D or F in the 2022-2023 school year — the largest such count in the state at that time — and detailed patterns of teacher turnover, staffing shortages, and resource gaps at those campuses.

Total Schools
305
U.S. News / Florida Schools, 2026
Student Enrollment
~224,152
U.S. News, Jan 2026
District Grade
B
Florida DOE via WTSP / Tampa Beacon, Jul 2025
A-Rated Schools
88
Florida DOE via WTSP / Tampa Beacon, Jul 2025
D-Rated Schools
16
Florida DOE via WTSP / Tampa Beacon, Jul 2025
F-Rated Schools
2
Florida DOE via WTSP / Tampa Beacon, Jul 2025

School Choice and Magnet Programs

HCPS administers an extensive school choice program through its School Choice Portal, which facilitates applications to magnet programs and specialized academies across the district. Documented program tracks available through the portal include International Baccalaureate (IB), visual and performing arts, STEM, and K-8 configurations that combine elementary and middle grades on a single campus.

The IB program is available at multiple HCPS campuses, offering both the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme for secondary students. Arts magnet options are documented as available alongside STEM-focused academies, reflecting a structured framework for families seeking specialized curricula beyond a neighborhood school assignment. Charter schools operating under HCPS authorization are included within the district's 305-school count and are accessible through the same choice application process.

The portal functions as the centralized application and response system for families in Hillsborough County, including those residing within Tampa city limits, who wish to attend a school outside their default attendance zone.

Millage Referendum and Recent Funding

In November 2024, Hillsborough County voters approved a 1-mill property tax increase for HCPS by a margin of 67 percent in favor, according to WTSP. The millage takes effect July 1, 2025, runs through June 2029, and is projected to generate $177 million annually for the district.

A primary use of the referendum revenue is direct compensation supplements for district employees. As reported by Bay News 9 in December 2024, the approved structure allocates $6,000 per year in supplemental pay for teachers and school administrators, and $3,000 per year for support staff. Revenue collection under the new millage began in January 2026. The four-year term of the millage means the levy is subject to renewal or expiration before the 2029-2030 school year.

District Leadership

Van Ayres serves as superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools. According to the Children's Movement of Florida, Ayres was appointed interim superintendent in July 2023 following the resignation of Addison Davis and was subsequently confirmed in the permanent role. The district is governed by an elected school board whose members represent geographic zones across Hillsborough County.

The superintendent's office operates from the district's administrative headquarters at 901 E. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa. HCPS's operational scale — 305 schools and approximately 224,000 students — places it among the largest urban school systems in the southeastern United States, and district decisions on curriculum, staffing, and facilities directly affect the majority of school-age children residing in Tampa.

Sources

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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%
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. About Moffitt | Moffitt Cancer Center https://www.moffitt.org/about-moffitt/ Used for: Moffitt as Florida's first NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
  17. Cancer Treatment & Research | Moffitt Cancer Center https://www.moffitt.org/ Used for: Moffitt employs more than 10,000 professionals
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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
  23. 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
Last updated: May 1, 2026