Tampa Preparatory School

I sacrificed to send my daughter to Tampa Prep because I wanted her to go to a good college. She did not get into a good college. Before you choose Tampa Prep, you should look at the colleges that the graduates go to. The list is not impressive. Tampa Prep does not prepare the students to go to a good college. They let students take easy classes and tell them it is ok to make As and Bs and even Cs. This is not true. They never told us our daughter was taking the wrong classes. To get into a good college, you need to take the hard classes and make almost all As. They also spend to much time on stuff that does not help you get into college. Expensive field trips. Diversity Day. Volunteer Day. The history department spends most of their time on teaching liberal politics.
--Submitted by a parent

My son graduated from Tampa Prep and although he got into a decent college, I don't think I got my moneys worth. Tampa Prep has some great teachers, but for $16,000 a year all the teachers should be great and they aren't. He had some horrible teachers that clearly didn't care and it showed. Tampa Prep is not in trouble though - there are plenty of kids with money who can't get in to Berkley, Jesuit, or an IB Program - these kids end up at Tampa Prep. The students at Tampa Prep joke about all the kids that are thrown out of Berkley and end up at Tampa Prep.
--Submitted by a parent

The previous review (Feb. 9. 20012) is accurate with respect to the Tampa Prep High School. I can't understand why the board is not getting involved to correct these issues before the High Schools' reputation is ruined. The prescription to save the high school is really simple: get rid of the bad teachers. The parents know who the bad teachers are and I know parents are complaining to the administration, why doesn't the administration do something! However, I think the middle school is quite good. Although it is starting to suffer as the school lowers standards to keep the classrooms full. I should also note that the facilities at Tampa Prep are top notch.
--Submitted by a parent

Tampa Prep is in trouble. Under the current leadership, teachers are not held accountable and thus poor teachers are all too common. Some examples, teachers that don't even bother to grade papers, teachers that show up late for class and then read their email while students sit and wait, teachers that insult students in class, and teachers that spend more time on politics than teaching. The word about Tampa Prep's poor teachers is getting out, enrollment is down and as a result Tampa Prep is letting in just about anyone. On a positive note, the parents are very involved.
--Submitted by a parent

I think the school is wonderful. The only downside is that most students have stay at home moms who are to lazy to wake up a little bit early to drive 5 minutes to school, so they are trying to get shool to start at nine. I wake my kids up at five because we live far away and they never complain. They are in middle school and to highschool sports, so they get home late at night and dont go to sleep until 11, but they maintain straight A's.
--Submitted by a parent

I went to this school for 6 years and had an amazing experience. I won't lie, it was very expensive, and very difficult; the courses were taught at a far higher comprehension level than most of my friends experienced at their public schools. That being said, I was much better prepared for college, now attend a prestigious university, and am preparing for graduate school. I don't know what I would have done without Tampa Prep.

I graduated from Tampa Prep in 2005. Between 2001-2005, I would consider it one of the best schools in the area by far. The administration was top notch, academics very rigorous and the teachers were knowledgeable. We had ample opportunity for enrichment outside of the classroom as well such as class trips out of state and out of country. The "new" school (which isn't new anymore!) is "Berkeley-esque" and we did complain quite a bit about that but the campus was beautiful- great security, nice grounds and amenities plus beautiful buildings all on the Hillsborough river. Some others have complained about the guidance but it was helpful when I attended. I remember we had to pick out our intended curriculum- based on the colleges we were interested in- for the whole of high school straight away in the 9th grade. College counseling started in the beginning of junior year and was punctuated by thorough follow up appointments. We at Prep did work twice hard for lower grades, but, in the end, the schools "name" helped me get into many top notch universities. I attended UF (and Emory for grad) & found myself extremely prepared for the work. The downside- the school was full of rich snobs!

I graduated in the mid 90's with siblings graduating 6 years later. The school has changed. It is quite sad. It has slipped in academics. Look at where students are now going to school. I agree that the school does a poor job in guidance. One guy did not know he could not graduate till senior year. They had overlooked his credits. Huh? The current students all look like Berkeley students (I went there before transferring to TP). It has lost its creativity and spark. It raised the tuition and then attracted all the S. Tampa Berkeley students whose parents were too lazy to drive. All the new money students arrived as well. If I still lived in Tampa, I would not send my kids there. Graduate of Prep.

Save your money and send your kid to a public school. I went to this school for seven years and really only learned one thing, that I can pay 15,000$ a year to work twice as hard for half the grade. The students are all snobs so if you want your kid to have a real personality I'd suggest you put them in a real school. Tampa Prep has a few great teachers, but that hardly makes up for the ones that simply don't know how to teach and don't know how to communicate with students. The school despite claiming other wise will constantly try and pry into the private lives of students, and push its liberal views on students. I'm a democrat and still got tired of that crap. Save yourself the money, and your kid will go to a better college.
--Submitted by a student

New headmaster (Principal) is GREAT! Don't know why he doesn't get 5 stars.
--Submitted by a parent