GRADY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL vs TINKER K-8 SCHOOL

Grady Elementary School and Tinker K-8 School are both strong performers in Tampa, but the numbers reveal a real gap at the top. Grady Elementary School rates 9.3/10 against Tinker K-8 School's 8.9/10 — a 0.4-point difference that translates into a significant state rank separation: Grady Elementary School sits at #30 of 3,777 Florida schools while Tinker K-8 School ranks #121. Both land in the top 4% of the state, but Grady's position in the top 1% reflects a measurably higher ceiling.

The academic score is where the gap is sharpest. Grady Elementary School scores 9.7/10 in academics versus Tinker K-8 School's 8.8/10 — a 0.9-point delta that signals consistently stronger proficiency outcomes across tested grades. Growth scores, by contrast, are nearly identical: Grady Elementary School 9.2/10, Tinker K-8 School 9.1/10. Both schools are accelerating students at roughly the same pace; the proficiency gap reflects where students start and peak, not how well teachers move them forward year over year.

Grady Elementary School enrolls 557 students compared to Tinker K-8 School's 588, and both share an identical student-teacher ratio of 14.3:1 — so class size is a non-factor in this comparison. The more meaningful demographic difference is economic: Grady Elementary School's free and reduced lunch rate is 18%, while Tinker K-8 School serves a higher-need population at 30%. That 12-point gap in FRL rates likely explains part of the academic score difference and reflects genuinely different student bodies, not just school quality.

The structural distinction that may matter most to families is grade span. Grady Elementary School serves PK through 5th grade, meaning families will navigate a middle school transition around age 11. Tinker K-8 School runs PK through 8th grade, keeping students in the same building through middle school. For a family weighing continuity against peak academic performance, this is the central trade-off: Grady delivers higher tested outcomes in the elementary years; Tinker removes a school transition entirely.