Options, Options Everywhere: Expanded HCPS Magnet Schools & School Choice Opportunities
Hillsborough County Public Schools offer a growing list of innovative magnet and school choice options for the 2025-2026 school year.
Education
Setting The Stage: Winter/Spring Arts Classes Now Enrolling At The Marcia P. Hoffman School Of The Arts
Discover all about the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts Winter Classes, beginning January 10, 2026 at Ruth Eckerd Hall!
Encouraging Wonder: What Happens When Preschoolers Ask Why
It happens almost overnight. You blink, and your baby suddenly has become a walking, talking little person with an intense desire to know things. The word “why” probably falls from their mouths at least a few times a day. Like most parents, you provide them with an answer. Sure, it might be a really good…
Opening New Chapters: New Worlds Reading Brings Free Books and Joy to Young Florida Readers
New Worlds Reading helps Florida children develop strong reading habits by delivering free books and activities to their homes. The program supports VPK through fifth-grade students in Florida public and charter schools who are not yet reading on grade level. Each month during the school year, enrolled children receive a free book and fun literacy…
The Art of Negotiation: High School Students Learn Essential Life Skills
Whether you are a teen asking your parents for an extended curfew or a seasoned professional closing a big business deal, the art of negotiation is a critical life skill that is not typically included in the average high school curriculum. At Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, students had the chance to dive into…
Meet the 2025 Recipients of Hillsborough County’s Anti-Bullying Award
Get to know Tampa Bay’s Bully Busters: Hillsborough County students who go above and beyond to fight bullying in our community.
Celebrating National Walk To School Day
National Walk to School Day is Wednesday, October 8th, and this year will mark Tampa Bay’s biggest and best celebration in history!
Rooted in Learning: Local Farm Helping to Grow Young Minds at Corbett Prep
The Lawrance family teaches life lessons to students at Corbett Preparatory School of IDS in Tampa through a new raised-bed garden system.
YA BY THE BAY’s Story Warrior Festival coming to Tampa this month
Meet Goosebumps legend R.L. Stine, meet bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson, and more YA BY THE BAY: Story Warrior Festival.
Explore Arts Education Classes This Fall At The Marcia P. Hoffman School Of The Arts At Ruth Eckerd Hall!
Discover exciting arts education classes offered this Fall at the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall for students ages 5 and up!
Leading the Way: A Vision for Excellence in Hillsborough County Public Schools
Learn how Van Ayres is shaping excellence in Hillsborough County Public Schools with a focus on growth and goals.
Florida’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday: Know Before You Go!
Florida’s popular Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday returns in 2025 on Friday, August 1-Sunday, August 31, 2025.
Teacher to Know: Yung Romano, M.Ed., Strawberry Crest High School
Pre-IB Biology teacher at Strawberry Crest High, Yung Ramano, is sharing how STEM students are being prepared for world-changing careers.
Kids to Know: Samira Garcia, 9th Grade, Blake High School Dance Magnet Program
Read how Samira Garcia is embracing her passion for dance at Blake High School and inspiring others to follow their artistic dreams!
Kids to Know: Aahan Swain, 7th Grade, Walker Middle Magnet IB World School
Learn how Aahan Swain’s experience in robotics and coding is preparing him for a future in medicine and inspiring others to never give up!
The Science Behind Why Nature Is the Best Classroom
Find out how nature is the best classroom for early childhood education, from STEM lessons to emotional growth and creativity.
Shifting Terrain: Helping Kids Navigate the Middle to High School Transition
Learn how to make the middle to high school transition smoother with insight from pediatric psychologist Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein.
School is Over – But the Work is Not! Summer Referendum Projects 2025
Hillsborough Co. public schools is sharing just how important that half-penny sales tax referendum is in making a difference at your kids’ schools.
Learn Your Way: Flexible Options at Hillsborough Virtual School!
Learn about Hillsborough Virtual School and how it offers flexible online learning with certified teacher support for K-12 students
Why Summer Reading is Crucial in the Age of AI
Learn about how summer reading keeps kids’ minds active, builds confidence, and helps then get ready for a future shaped by Artificial Intelligence.
Month of the Military Child: Proud to Support our Military Students
Learn how Hillsborough County Schools celebrate Military Child Month by supporting students with special programs and resources.
Why Being a Mandatory Supporter Matters in Child Welfare
Learn how the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County encourages being a mandatory supporter to help families and prevent childhood trauma.
Digital Balance: 4 Tips for Managing Technology for Young Children
Discover four effective ways to balance technology for kids and help them develop healthy digital habits in a screen-filled world.
Sweet Succes at Tomlin Middle School with the Strawberry Festival
See how Tomlin Middle School plays a key role in the Strawberry Festival, from selling produce to creating art and helping with parking.
Run, or Walk… For Education!
The Hillsborough Co. Public Schools Race 4 Education is coming up on April 12! Sign Up now to help support students’ physical education.
Happiness Increases When Students Focus on Helping Others
Discover how Corbett Prep students and teachers learned how volunteering creates happiness when they worked together to create their new Watershed Warriors club.
New Year, New Adventures at Your Public Library
Discover how public library resources can help you learn, explore, and create new opportunities for your family with free programs and tools.
Sustainable Seafood: PBS docuseries “Hope in the Water” highlights the possibilities in our world’s waters
Discover how the PBS series Hope in the Water highlights the importance of sustainable seafood and saving our oceans.
Hillsborough County Public Schools Names Top Educators!
Did your child’s teacher make the list? See who’s been nominated for Teacher of the Year in Hillsborough County for 2024!
HCPS Students are Laying Down the Law!
Learn how Hillsborough Co. students are inspiring change at the state legislative level in Tallahassee during the annual “Ought to be a Law” event.
Raising Readers in a Parent-Child Book Club
Corbett Prep is sharing simple tips on starting a family book club that everyone will look forward to and enjoy together.
Avoiding Car Line Chaos!
It’s your average Tuesday morning. You’re running late for work. Maybe it’s starting to rain. And car line is taking FOREVER. Parents are not adhering to the zipper method, kids aren’t prepared to get out of the car, and… Oh my gosh, NO! Did you just see a mom get out of the car, walk…
St. Pete STEAMfest Returns for 7th Community Festival
St. Pete STEAMfest returns for the seventh community festival celebrating the study of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) on Saturday, October 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free, family-friendly festival, designed for families of children in preschool through eighth grade, brings hands-on experiential learning from some of the Tampa Bay area’s…
Navigating a Competitive Admissions Season Without Stress
The school year still feels brand new, so how is it time to begin thinking about 2025-26? If you’re considering enrolling in a private school, it’s smart to start early. Applications are open at private schools, where admissions officers expect another busy season. A Cato Institute survey showed that 50 percent of private schools received…
Hurricane Related School Closures in Tampa Bay
As we keep an eye on Helene, some Tampa Bay Area schools are announcing school closures in preparation for the storm’s potential impacts and so designated schools can serve as storm shelters.
Attendance Awareness Month – Show up & Be a Success!
My son is a senior in high school. There’s no doubt he will pass all his classes and graduate. I want him to enjoy his senior year. It’s okay if he misses a few days of school here and there, right? My daughter is in seventh grade. She’s brilliant! She makes straight As without even…
We Are in the Hope Business
The Head of School at Academy at the Lakes is sharing why school must be about Hope during a time when we’re fed a steady diet of negativity and fear.
Middle School at Corbett Prep: Building Strong Foundations for Emotional and Academic Success
The middle school years can be…awkward. But, as the Runyan family of Tampa discovered, it’s actually quite the oppositive after sending their kids to middle school at Corbett Prep.
Local Students Learn the Science of Monster Trucks During a STEM Field Trip to Monster Jam in Tampa
Imagine Monster Jam colliding with the first week of school and your classroom for the day becomes Amelia Arena. TGIF had a whole new meaning for these junior high school students!
Advice for Incoming 6th Graders – From Those Who Have Been There!
Hillsborough Co. Public Schools rising seventh and eighth graders are sharing practical (and adorable!) advice they have for incoming sixth graders.
The Clock Starts Yesterday: 8 tips to kick off the college application process for high schoolers (or middle schoolers)
I remember being at Gymboree with my oldest (many moons ago) when a mom asked me, “Where do you think your son will go to high school?” In the sleep-deprived era of toddlerhood, I wanted to say, “Lady, I am so tired and I don’t even know what we are having for dinner, much less…
Turning the Paige on Literacy in Hillsborough County Public Schools
Meet Paige. She’s fun, she’s engaging and she’s filled with books! She is Hillsborough County Public Schools’ newest literacy resource—Paige the Literacy Bus! Paige’s mission is to provide early access to resources and promote literacy beyond the classroom. She is geared toward our younger learners up to age 5. When children step onto the bus,…
5 Reasons It’s Good to Go Global
We love to ask little kids what they want to be when they grow up. But the truth is that the world is changing so quickly that students today will enter a future filled with jobs, challenges and opportunities we are yet to imagine. As adults, we have witnessed the transformative power of technology from…
Stopping the Summer Slide with Just 2 Books!
What do you think of when you hear “summer slide”? Is it a super cool water slide at Adventure Island? Or how about sliding into home plate during a summer Rays game? Actually, the summer slide has to deal with learning loss over the summer. Research suggests students lose about a month’s worth of learning,…
Teacher Appreciation Week: May 6-10th, 2024
Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week by showing gratitude to those shaping our children’s futures. Discover heartfelt ways to thank educators beyond the classroom essentials, from personal notes to thoughtful gifts, and make their week truly special.
Finding Math in Unusual Places with Corbett Prep’s 8th Grade Class
Discover how eighth graders at Corbett Prep are exploring math in the most unexpected places, from bee farms to baking, transforming traditional lessons into real-world adventures that stick.
The “Magic” of Teaching a Child to Read! Hillsborough County Public Schools’ New Literacy Curriculum, UFLI
Discover the transformative power of UFLI, Hillsborough County Public School’s new game-changing literacy curriculum. With heartwarming success stories and practical tips for parents, learn how this approach is making reading magical for kids.
Lab Coats and Moon Soil: A Peek at Hillsborough County Public Schools Magnet Programs
While Dunbar Elementary Magnet is creating future doctors, Stewart Middle Magnet is shaping future scientists!
5 Fun and Easy Ways to Prevent Summer Slide
It seems that each year as students return from spring break, there is a sense of anticipation in the air. Summer is nearly upon us, and families are penciling summer camps and family vacations into their calendars. (Or, if your family is anything like mine, you are just beginning to plan your child’s summer activities. No…
They’re Ready… But Are You? (It’s time to sign up for kindergarten!)
Alright mamas, hold onto your heartstrings … especially if you have a preschooler! It’s time… To register them… For KINDERGARTEN! (And the sobs were heard round the bay.) Don’t worry; Hillsborough County Public Schools makes getting ready for kindergarten easy for you and fun for them! Schools across the district will hold Kindergarten Ready Open…
Best Places to Host School Spirit Nights in Tampa Bay
We’re sharing some of our favorite Tampa Bay area businesses that support local school Spirit Nights!
Hillsborough County Public Schools Celebrates its Education Rock Stars
Have you seen the commercial where employees keep calling each other rock stars, and then actual rock stars show up and shut them down?! Well, we challenge Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol or Joan Jett to step in one of our schools and shut US down – because our employees are as close to rock stars as you…
Kids to Know: Bayshore Christian School’s Fourth Grade Class
Every fall at Bayshore Christian School, the fourth grade classes gather to plan for a market. The products, packaging and prices are determined individually by each nine and ten year old student. However, they decide collectively how the profits from the project will be used. While they learned how to execute a successful business, they…
How Corbett Prep is Building a Bridge to Middle School in Fifth Grade
It’s elective day in fifth grade, and the Forensic Science class is seated in Corbett Prep’s Middle School lab with mysterious red vials and tiny plastic trays for a lesson on blood type analysis. The synthetic blood will react differently depending on the blood type when mixed with an antiserum, so the fifth graders carefully…
Countdown to Kindergarten: 3 Expert Tips to Prepare Your Child Now
Parents and caregivers of preschoolers may notice time has a way of slowing down and then speeding up with the hustle of trying to make sure you capture each last moment: the last first day of preschool; the last time your child needed help tying their shoe; the last holiday celebrations you will attend at…
The Great American Teach-In Helps Students Explore Future Careers
The Great American Teach-In is an annual nationwide event that helps kids discover future career opportunities.
All About Adum K-8: The Hype Surrounding Hillsborough County Schools’ Newest K-8 School
There’s always a lot of excitement when a new school opens. However, the hype surrounding the new Kenneth E. Adum K-8 surpasses all expectations!
It Makes Cents: Shorecrest Prep Teaching Important Life Skill of Financial Literacy
Shorecrest believes that a challenging, college-preparatory curriculum must extend beyond academics to include a solid grounding in real-world applications. The newly launched Ross Roeder Institute for Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Economics (RRI) is just one example of how the school provides that preparation.
Academy at the Lakes: We Must Teach History
Today’s public square includes much debate about the teaching of history in school. As both a school leader and a history teacher, I offer this: We must teach history in order to create active, engaged citizens. In doing so, we can also promote patriotism. Teaching History to Promote Patriotism History We teach history because history…
The Power of Play: How Corbett Prep is incorporating PLAY in the classroom
There’s serious play happening in Corbett Prep’s PreK4 class on “Not a Box” day. Piles of craft supplies—stickers, glue, ribbons, markers, colored paper—are scattered around the classroom suite as students transform cardboard boxes into cars, rockets, houses, tunnels and even a unicorn. The Study of Play: Not a Box Inspired by the book “Not a…
