LANIER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL vs PATRICIA SULLIVAN METROPOLITAN MINISTRIES PARTNERSHIP SCHOO

Lanier Elementary School and Patricia Sullivan Metropolitan Ministries Partnership School are both high-performing Tampa elementary schools, but Patricia Sullivan ranks notably higher statewide — #16 of 3,777 Florida schools versus Lanier's #53 of 3,777. That 37-position gap reflects a meaningful difference in where each school sits in the state's competitive landscape, even though their overall ratings sit close at 9.0 and 9.3 out of 10 respectively, a 0.3-point gap favoring Patricia Sullivan.

Academically, the two schools are nearly identical, with Lanier at 8.5/10 and Patricia Sullivan at 8.6/10 — a negligible one-tenth difference. The more meaningful contrast appears in growth scores: Patricia Sullivan scores 9.9/10 on student growth versus Lanier's 9.3/10, a 0.6-point delta that signals Patricia Sullivan's students are advancing at an exceptionally fast pace relative to academic starting points. For families who weigh year-over-year learning acceleration alongside absolute proficiency, that gap matters.

Patricia Sullivan enrolls just 77 students compared to Lanier's 354, making it a substantially more intimate setting despite an essentially equivalent student-teacher ratio of 12.8:1 versus Lanier's 12.6:1. The most significant demographic difference is free and reduced lunch eligibility: Patricia Sullivan serves 100% FRL-qualified students, compared to 60% at Lanier. Patricia Sullivan operates as a partnership school with Metropolitan Ministries, meaning its student body is drawn from families experiencing housing instability or poverty — a mission-driven enrollment model that context shapes the school's entire program.

On grade span, Lanier Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, while Patricia Sullivan begins at kindergarten. Families with pre-K-aged children will find only Lanier offers that entry point. The two schools sit 7.2 miles apart in Tampa, making them realistic alternatives only for families near the geographic midpoint between them or willing to commute.