CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

As a middle-of-the-pack elementary-level community in TAMPA, Florida, CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL instructs 536 students from grades pre-K through 5, part of HILLSBOROUGH.

CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of 300 schools operated by HILLSBOROUGH, a district that works with 221,318 students overall.

On the student-mix side, CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL records that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 68% of enrollment; the rest breaks down as 24% Black, 7% White. By comparison, Hillsborough County as a whole is about 30% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL shows 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 36.7:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 17.5:1 average. About 77% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is noticeably above Hillsborough County's rate of about 43%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 42.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 30.7%.

In the surrounding community, Hillsborough County reports that median household income runs about $79,540, roughly 38% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. Across Hillsborough County's 320 public schools (combined enrollment of about 223,193 students), CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL, around 0.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 34.9%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 5%: 563 students in 2018 compared to 536 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 47% to 68%. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 12.5:1 in 2018 to 36.7:1 today.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.