Pizzo Elementary School

Great partnership with the museum! Teachers really go above and beyond to teach and care for students!
—Submitted by a teacher

My son's experience in Kinder was AMAZING! I never thought a child could learn to read so quickly... this was always my fear! My son was so eager to learn and so into school and I can only give credit to his teachers whom encouraged him and always supported him! I loved theat they genuinely cared and loved him... I can see it by the way teachers referred information to me about his progress and about what he needed to improve. I recommend this school to everyone!
—Submitted by a parent

The staff at pizzo changed my son's life they have helped him approve in every aspect of his life. my son is autistic. the genuine love and care that they utilize is impeccable starting with mrs. Mary marrs and now with Ms Schwartz whom my son adores it has given me great peace of mind when he's in school that everyone there is so dedicated to special needs kids.
—Submitted by a parent

The best school in Hillsborough county. Great staff and excellent teachers, my son has autism and thanks to the teachers over at pizzo he has learned so much and communicates so much more! Thank you ms.Erin she is unbelievable awesome school.
—Submitted by a parent

Pizzo is a professional training school located on USF campus. This school is unique because USF students have the opportunity to intern with teachers, tutor children who need extra help and mentor children in programs such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and AmeriCorps. Having this valuable resource and with the addition or having an amazing administration that is very involved is a recipe for success. The administration has done a wonderful job selecting a staff of caring teachers who create a structured and nurturing environment that kids need to be successful. They have also done a fabulous job supplying the resources they need to create successful classrooms, such as; Smart Boards or Mimeos, state of the art document cameras and projectors in every class room. They also have several ELP (extended learning programs) and tutoring programs for kids who need that extra help. I still have 2 children attending Pizzo (5th & 3rd grader) but I have had kids attending Pizzo since 2001. Pizzo is definitely a school that is truly striving to leave no child behind. The only thing I would like to see improve is the parent involvement.
—Submitted by a parent

My child is now in middle school however he attended Pizzo Elementary from Pre-K thru 5th grade and during that time we had a few of the greatest teachers and staff, however I must advise that during that time the quality of the school declined dramatically. I cannot put my finger to the pulse of the problem however the programs needed to advance children at Pizzo and in Hillsborough county are not available. It is evident to my family and I that although Pizzo may have received an 'A' it certainly is not. My child scored well in 3rd grade on FCAT and steadily declined despite our efforts to continue have him practice FCAT, read the dictionary and attend FCAT readiness programs. If a parent is looking for a top notch elementary school Pizzo is not it in my opinion. Besides access to MOSI it is not an 'A' school.
—Submitted by a parent

I found this school to be wonderful. The teachers are very involved in making sure they take what ever steps are necessary to help a child suceed. The school also is very good about communicating with the parents by sending monthly news letters and other information. There truly was a good partnership between the parents and the school. They also have wonderful extra curricular activities for the students. I can't say this enough, but I really felt this school cared about our children and this was not just a job for them.
—Submitted by a parent

Very good school. Strong in science and math. My daughter had trouble getting to her classes. She was in the gifted program and was required to change classes more than other students. The class changes were poorly organized and constantly confusing. They seemed to change periodically so that it was difficult to know when and where she needed to be. Otherwise the teachers and staff were very caring. Homework was not posted online.
—Submitted by a parent

Pizzo is a fabulous school and my son has been excelling since he began K this year. They are really supportive of children with advanced skills! Great work to all the staff, but especially to Ms. Hernandez, his teacher! Thank you.
—Submitted by Donette, a parent

My daughter has attended Pizzo since its doors opened in the fall of 1998. She is now a fifth grader and will be leaving at the end of the school year to enter the sixth grade. This is bittersweet for me because I'm very proud of her progess but at the same time, I hate to see her leave this school. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT SCHOOL! The curriculum, the teachers and principals have all been great. I'm very involved with her school activities and it has been a pleasure working with everyone of her teachers throughout the years. Dr. Myers assumed responsibility as principal in the year 2000 and has been a great asset to the school every since. I would highly recommend anyone to send their child/ren to this wonderful school.
—Submitted by Jacqueline Greene, a parent