Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet School

No. Tampa Heights Elementary Magnet is a county-wide magnet — any family with a student enrolled in Hillsborough County Public Schools can apply, regardless of where they live in the county. The school is open to students across Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Wesley Chapel, and all other HCPS communities. That said, buyers who want short commute times for their kids will look at homes in the Tampa Heights, Seminole Heights, and V.M. Ybor neighborhoods that are closest to 305 E Columbus Drive.

Applications open through the HCPS Magnet and School Choice portal, typically in October, and close in early December for the following school year. The process is lottery-based — applying early gives no advantage. Families are encouraged to attend an open house or virtual tour (scheduled through the school) before applying. Transportation is provided for accepted students. Current info: hillsboroughschools.org/magnet or (813) 272-4692.

The Tampa Heights neighborhood (33602) had a median sale price of approximately $663K as of early 2026, with homes averaging around 74 days on market — a slower pace than Tampa as a whole, reflecting the urban bungalow and Craftsman stock. Homes range from older 2BR/2BA bungalows in the $400s to renovated 4BR historic homes and new-construction infill pushing $800K+. Adjacent Seminole Heights (33603) runs a bit lower. Since the magnet is open county-wide, you are not required to buy near the school — but families do cluster nearby for convenience.

The school carries a GreatSchools rating of 3/10, which reflects standardized test scores relative to Florida averages. A few context points: Tampa Heights serves a Title I community with high poverty rates and a chronic absenteeism challenge (school district-wide issue, not unique here); test scores at Title I schools are systematically lower than at suburban peers for reasons unrelated to teaching quality. The Global Leadership magnet exists specifically to bring enrichment programming to this neighborhood. If you are choosing the school for the magnet strand — not for test-score rankings — the curriculum is substantively different from what the rating implies.

HCPS runs a large portfolio of elementary magnets. Riverhills Elementary (IB World School) and Muller Elementary Magnet draw families focused on structured academic rigor. Shore Elementary Magnet has a different program focus. Tampa Heights is distinct in its Global Leadership / UN SDGs framing, which is unusual among Florida K–5 magnets. For families who want civic-minded, project-based global learning rather than traditional IB structure, Tampa Heights is worth a serious look. The historic campus and urban-core location are also genuinely different from the suburban magnet experience.