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What's the most underrated thing about TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
649
Middle
DISTRICT 717 · STATE 794
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PINELLAS·NCES 120156002400
TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL
501 N FLORIDA AVE, TARPON SPRINGS, FL 34689 · (727) 943-5511 · Pinellas County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL649 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
19.1:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.2:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
299 students
DISTRICT 48% · STATE 50%
Community
3
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
FAST / B.E.S.T. 2024-25 . % at Level 3 or AboveEnglish Language Arts
61.4%
FL avg 56.7% . +3.0pp since 2023
Math
63.7%
FL avg 58.9% . +4.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Florida schools, those numbers are about 57 and 59. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
Source: FAST / B.E.S.T.. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
59.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
58.1%
based on FL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 60% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 58% typical for Florida schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Florida's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
649
-203 (-24%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
19.1:1
was 20.8:1
% White
58%
was 66%
% Hispanic
20%
was 16%
% Black
13%
was 11%
% Asian
2%
was 2%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Located at 501 N FLORIDA AVE, in TARPON SPRINGS, Florida, TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL is a low-enrollment junior high that teaches 649 students (grades 6 through 8), overseen by PINELLAS.
Across the 151 schools in PINELLAS (87,955 students total), TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL accounts for its share of the district's footprint.
In terms of who attends, TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL lists that White students make up the majority at 58%. Other groups include 20% Hispanic, 13% Black, 6% multiracial, 2% Asian. By comparison, Pinellas County as a whole is about 74% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.
Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 19.1:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 19.6:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 46% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.
After controlling for student poverty, TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 58.1%; this one delivers 59.7%.
In the area at large, Pinellas County reports that median household earnings sit near $72,646, about 37% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. In all, Pinellas County runs 155 public schools (combined enrollment of about 87,955 students), of which TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL is one.
The closest other public school is TARPON SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL comes 4th of 9 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 58.0%.
The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.
Trend over the last 7 years. TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL's enrollment has contracted 24% since 2018, when it stood at 852 (now 649). The White share of enrollment ticked down from 66% to 58% over that span. Class-load math has pulled in: from 20.8:1 in 2018 to 19.1:1 in 2025.
On allk12, members of the TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Pinellas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
963,481
Census ACS
Median income
$72,646
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
155
87,955 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in PINELLAS
- PALM HARBOR UNIVERSITY HIGHHigh · 2,413 students
- LARGO HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,058 students
- EAST LAKE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,980 students
- DIXIE M. HOLLINS HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,934 students
- ST. PETERSBURG HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,736 students
- OSCEOLA FUNDAMENTAL HIGHHigh · 1,706 students
Other schools in TARPON SPRINGS
- EAST LAKE HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,980 students
- TARPON SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,111 students
- BROOKER CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 501 students
- SUNSET HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 428 students
- TARPON SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 417 students
- EAST LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERINGMiddle · 392 students
Nearby schools
- TARPON SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL0.5 mi · 1,111
- SUNSET HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.6 mi · 428
- GULFSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.6 mi · 393
- TARPON SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.8 mi · 417
- PAUL R. SMITH MIDDLE SCHOOL2.0 mi · 830
- TARPON SPRINGS FUNDAMENTAL ELE2.0 mi · 267
Frequently asked questions
About TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOLWhat is the total enrollment at TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 649 students in grades 06-08.
Is TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL an elementary, middle, or high school?
TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL have?
TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL employs 34 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.1:1.
How diverse is TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL reports a student body of 58% White, 20% Hispanic, 13% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
TARPON SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL is overseen by PINELLAS in Pinellas County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.