By Superintendent Van Ayres
As the new school year begins, Hillsborough County Public Schools is riding a wave of momentum built on the incredible achievements of our students, educators and families in the last school year.
Our schools showed measurable and impressive progress. Our school grades, recently released by the Florida Department of Education, reflect significant gains in student performance across the district. We are proud that 98 percent of our schools received an A, B or C grade. More students are meeting and exceeding grade-level expectations, and schools across every region of our community improved outcomes for students.
Congratulations to the following schools in District 4 for their impressive results this past school year:
- Mendenhall Elementary School moved two grades to an A.
- Doby and Walden Lake Elementary Schools and Riverview and Strawberry Crest High Schools are now graded as an A.
- Lennard High School improved to a B.
- Knights, Sessums, Summerfield, Symmes and Trapnell elementary schools all improved to a B.
Our high schools posted especially strong results. Hillsborough students outpaced state averages on Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam pass rates — giving more students than ever the opportunity to earn college credit and accelerate their academic futures. Of the 19,451 students who took AP exams, 70 percent earned a score of 3 or higher, marking the highest AP pass rate in district history. These success rates translate into an estimated $14 million in potential college tuition savings for HCPS families across 29 school sites in 2025. Additionally, over 300 students at our five IB campuses earned International Baccalaureate diplomas, leading to an estimated $9 million in potential tuition savings, further underscoring the district’s commitment to academic rigor and college readiness.
These achievements are the result of focused instruction, dedicated staff and a belief in what our students are capable of achieving.
And we are not slowing down.
We have our brand-new Aquilla J. Morgan High School in Wimauma that will open this August to nearly 1,500 students, with plans to build both an elementary school and a middle school in the future.
In the year ahead, we will continue investing in literacy, early learning and workforce-ready education.
We’re expanding career and technical programs and elevating our partnerships with local industry and higher education. And we’ll continue to invite families and communities to the table — because our success as a district is built on collaboration and their support.
Public education is the heart of every thriving community. I invite every parent, business owner and community member to take pride in and celebrate the gains we’ve made — let’s lead the way together.
Hillsborough County students deserve our best.
