Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet, 305 E. Columbus Drive: kindergarten to grade 5, 206 students in 2026-27, a C in Florida's 2026 grades.

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, Hillsborough County Public Schools’ 2026-27 school zones, 40th-day enrollment count, the Florida Department of Education’s 2026 school grades file and the federal NCES school directory.

Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet is the Hillsborough County Public Schools elementary school for kindergarten to grade 5 at 305 E. Columbus Drive, inside Tampa city limits.

The school dates to 1906, when it began as Michigan Avenue Grammar School; a 2017 fire forced it to move temporarily, according to the school’s history page.

Who to call
Address 305 E. Columbus Drive, Tampa, FL 33602
Phone 813-276-5405
Grades Kindergarten to grade 5
District Hillsborough County Public Schools
State school number 29-2401

Principal

Principal Michelle Alphonse, according to the school’s About page.

Enrollment and teachers

  • District count: 206 students on the district’s 40th-day enrollment count for 2026-27, as of Oct. 5, 2026. The same sheet gives the campus a capacity of 420 students, so it is 49% full by the district’s measure.
  • Federal count: 234 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 17 full-time-equivalent classroom teachers, according to the NCES directory. That is about 14 students per teacher.

State report card

Florida grades every public school A to F on the share of possible points it earns on the measures in the state’s 2026 school grades file: test scores, learning gains and, for middle and high schools, acceleration and graduation. The file sets an A for elementary schools at 62% of points or more.

School year Grade
2025-26 C (49% of possible points)
2024-25 C
2023-24 C

From the same file, the share of students scoring on grade level on the state tests in 2025-26:

  • Third-grade English language arts: 40%
  • English language arts: 47%
  • Math: 53%
  • Science: 39%

It lists 100% of the school’s students as economically disadvantaged.

The full report card is on the state’s Florida school report cards site. It is an interactive dashboard; the figures above come from the downloadable file.

Admission

Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet has no attendance zone. It is a magnet school: the district’s magnet list gives its program as Global Leadership Academy (the whole school), with entry by lottery-based application. Families apply through the district’s School Choice office, 813-272-4692; placement depends on eligibility, open seats and a lottery when one is needed, according to the district.

Calendar and bell times

Classes run 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the school’s About page. Students are released early every Monday, according to the district’s calendar.

From the district’s 2026-27 student calendar:

  • Monday, Oct. 12: no school for students
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
  • Nov. 23-27: fall break (Thanksgiving week)
  • Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2027: winter break; Monday, Jan. 4 is also off, and students return Tuesday, Jan. 5
  • Monday, Jan. 18, 2027: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, no school
  • Friday, Feb. 12, 2027: Florida State Fair day, no school
  • Monday, Feb. 15, 2027: Presidents Day, no school
  • March 22-26, 2027: spring break; Monday, March 29 is also off, and students return Tuesday, March 30
  • Friday, May 28, 2027: last day of school, a 2.5-hour early release

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Frequently asked questions

What grades does Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet serve?

Kindergarten to grade 5. It is a Hillsborough County Public Schools elementary school at 305 E. Columbus Drive in Tampa.

What is Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet’s school grade?

Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet earned a C in Florida’s 2026 school grades, with 49% of possible points. It earned a C in 2025.

What time does Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet start?

Classes run 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the school’s website. Students are released early every Monday, according to the district’s calendar.