DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL

DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL is one of the compact middle schools in TAMPA, Florida, run under HILLSBOROUGH, with 657 students on its rolls from grades 6 through 8.

Within HILLSBOROUGH, which oversees 300 schools and 221,318 students, DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

Demographically, DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL lists that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 58% of enrollment; the rest consists of 24% Black, 14% White, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 30% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL has 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 23.3:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 19.6:1 average. About 67% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Hillsborough County runs at roughly 43%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 47.8%; this one delivers 34.7%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Hillsborough County indicate the typical household earns roughly $79,540 per year, roughly 38% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Hillsborough County's 320 public schools (combined enrollment of about 223,193 students), DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: CLAIR-MEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, around 0.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL ranks 4th on composite proficiency, above the local average of 34.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count climbed 7%: 613 students in 2018 compared to 657 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 19% to 14% over that span. Class-load math has loosened: from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 23.3:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.