Tampa Preparatory School

Posted: August 7, 2025

Tampa Pre has been a wonder for me. The staff and students are incredibly nice, and the sports teams are well managed. I'm so glad I switched to this school. The staff teach well and go into depth for the subject they are teaching, making it easy to get an A+, and they also stay after school to help students. I would definitely recommend this school.

Posted: August 7, 2025

Posted: August 7, 2025

Posted: August 7, 2025

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Posted: January 12, 2022

I am writing as a parent. My daughter spent her last three years of high school at Prep. She graduated full prepared for the excellent college where she is now a sophomore. She worked hard, and involved herself in many worthwhile clubs in and outside the school. The teachers were consistently supportive and willing to go the extra mile. She had many friends, and was able to cross "friend groups". I have read some of the other reviews on this site. I think you will get from Prep. what you put into it. The resources are there, as is the support. Many of my daughter's friends were accepted into top-notch, out-of-state colleges, including Ivies. She was accepted into several excellent universities as well as UF Honors. I highly recommend Prep., and have referred many families to the school.

Posted: January 12, 2022

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Posted: March 20, 2019

Posted: March 20, 2019

They are very receptive to asking for extra help and very friendly and interactive for the most part.

Posted: March 20, 2019

While we do participate in activities like Terrapin Day every year where we go out into the community and do service, there is also a sense of self concern and lack of care for other students who are not in ones “friend group”. Although this characteristic might be typical among high school students, it feels very prevalent at Tampa Prep. There are many students who are very involved in service and concerned about their community. As far as respect, it varies greatly. Overall, students are very casual with many teachers and there is very little “yes, sir”, “no, ma’am”-ing going on. I would not say there is a lot of respect at this school, but there are exceptions.

Posted: March 20, 2019

This school has very poor leadership as far as student led organizations go. The majority of clubs are a complete joke; partly because of poor leadership and partly because students want to do nothing other than sit around and talk during lunch or after school. Clubs such as Debate and Robotics have very little involvement and most participation is superficial and only for the credit of “putting it on your college application”. NHS is stopping after next year because of the lack of student involvement but over acceptance.

Posted: March 20, 2019

They provide things like extended time on tests and quizzes and most teachers are very considerate when it comes to extra time on work and assignments.

Posted: March 20, 2019

Posted: March 20, 2019

This school has very friendly, helpful teachers for the most part and the academics are challenging yet encourage deep thinking. Academics are no joke but the work is manageable. The school gives you very many important resources and guides you every step along the way while still encouraging independence. Between intensive writing and plentiful group discussions and deep conversations, I feel this school truly prepares students academically for college and even life afterwards. However, extracurricular activities are less exceptional. Most clubs are a complete joke other than the school’s service clubs. Most participation (which, I should mention, is extremely sparse) is solely to put on a college application and has no actual effort behind it. Sports are fine but not great by any means. School spirit is decent, but mainly just for roasting berkeley rather than praising TP. The social scene is very cliquey. Although students are for the most part very friendly individually, when they get into their little groups they will go out of their ways to exclude other certain groups. Most students can find a good group of friends, but the school soon starts to feel so small that drama and rumors spread like the bubonic plague and people get tired of each other very quickly. Many of the students, by nature, come from very wealthy families and therefore can tend to be somewhat spoiled. You’ll see kids receiving Tesla’s and Mercedes on their 16th birthday which is by no means bad but can inspire an “entitled” attitude. The admissions office seems to advertise spinny chairs and ipads as though they make the school exceptional, but don’t send your kids to the school just because of the “fancy” technology because in the end that has nothing to do with the success of the school. The admistration also tends to cover up scandals among staff that I won’t get into. Please note I am being very harsh on this school but overall had a positive high school experience and just want to point out the negatives so all are aware.

OVERALL: It’s an extremely expensive school with very good academics, below average extracurricular activities, and cliquey social groups.

Posted: March 2, 2018

There is no better school in the Bay area than Tampa Prep. The classroom innovations, the creative and caring faculty, the dynamic Head of School... all add up to an experience that leaves my kids excited to go to school every day. SO many amazing STEM opportunities here as well. Their STEM teacher LITERALLY wrote the textbook other schools are using to teach robotics!

Posted: March 2, 2018

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Posted: August 19, 2016

Posted: August 19, 2016

Posted: August 19, 2016

Posted: August 19, 2016

I have had nothing but great experiences at Tampa Prep. I love that a priority is placed on both High Achieving Academics and Athletics or the Arts. IB is great but I was seeking more of a balanced well rounded program offering for my girls.

Posted: October 15, 2015

Posted: October 15, 2015

Posted: October 15, 2015

Posted: October 15, 2015

Ok first of all, after half a year at Tampa Prep, I had to take my child out of it, before he got a bad influence, just like every single other student at this school. I was at a volleyball game which was against Carrollwood Day School(which is where I sent my son for the second semester). I went outside to make a phone call, and saw a bunch of Tampa Prep guys, beating up a high schooler from Carrollwood Day School. And the CDS kid ended up in a neck cast. Do you really wanna send your kid there? CDS has set a great influence on my child, giving him the proper teachings he needs. And it's an IB school, which means my son will most likelt be able to get into a good college. If we stayed at TP, we wouldn't be able to get into a good college. The best would be community college. At CDS, kids get sent all over the country to the bests schools. What do you want for your child?

Posted: August 26, 2014

My AP and advanced classes were NOT at all mentally or academically challenging. I found that I was surrounded by people who had very little passion for learning or education, and although the teachers wanted to do more, they were limited by the students being so incompetent. Although prep boasts that all of their classes are 'Honors classes' they really shouldn't be labeled so. I do not reccommend prep to post IB, gifted,or magnet school students.

Posted: April 8, 2013

Tampa preps education is outstanding! The teacher involvement with the kids is excellent. The academics no doubt is on a high level to challenge each child to have them prepared for college. It is what value each child wants to put into their education to get into a good college. Yes, it is not cheap to go to TP. Look at the colleges many of the students got into this year. Harvard, UF, USF, Tufts and so on. Highly rec this school! Parent of a 10th grader

Posted: January 21, 2013

My daughter graduated from Tampa Prep and did not get into a good college. If you are considering Tampa Prep, ask where last year s class went to college. Don t settle for a list of colleges, ask for a list that shows how many students went to each college. Now compare this list to one from Jesuit, Berkley, and any of the IB programs. The sad truth is that the IB programs have the best track record (and they are free), followed by Jesuit, Berkley, and a distant fourth, Tampa Prep. My advice: get your kid into an IB program. Yes they will work hard, but if they do well they will get into a good school guaranteed. Why do Tampa Preps students come in last? Two reasons: a weak student body (Tampa Prep will accept anyone that can pay the $16,000 a year tuition) and bad teachers. Some examples: teachers that tell students to read the book while the teacher surfs the internet; teachers that take weeks to return graded tests; and teachers that preach politics instead of teaching. Over the last year, Great Schools has removed seven negative reviews of Tampa Prep. They will probably remove this one also, but I will post it other places so people learn the truth about Great Schools.

Posted: June 2, 2012

This is a top notch learning institution. I attended TP almost 10 years ago and my studies there helped me earn a spot at a top 20 national university. I would NOT trade this experience for a Florida public high school education. The depth and breadth of material the students take in at Tampa Prep allows them to surpass their peers at the college level and beyond. I credit Tampa Prep for providing me with a foundation from which I've excelled, both at university and in the workforce.

Posted: May 12, 2011

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.