FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

As an intimate elementary school in TAMPA, Florida, FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves 428 students from grades pre-K through 5, one of the schools within HILLSBOROUGH. Enrollment runs roughly 29% leaner than the state mean of about 604.

Within HILLSBOROUGH, which oversees 300 schools and 221,318 students, FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the system.

Demographically, FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL logs that Black students make up the majority at 62%. Other groups include 29% Hispanic, 4% White, 4% multiracial. By comparison, Hillsborough County as a whole is about 16% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.1:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 82% of students at FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Hillsborough County runs at roughly 43%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 40.3%, the actual is 33.2%, a residual of -7.1 points.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Hillsborough County indicate median household income runs about $79,540, 38% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. Across Hillsborough County's 320 public schools (combined enrollment of about 223,193 students), FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is SLIGH MIDDLE SCHOOL, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL at 5th of 7; the average score across the group is 37.6%.

The campus sits in an inner-city setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's enrollment has decreased 11% since 2018, when it stood at 481 (now 428). Black enrollment moved from 75% to 62% across the same window. Class-load math has loosened: from 10.9:1 in 2018 to 16.1:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.