Skybrooke K-8 in Lutz enters its second year Thursday, Aug. 13, as part of a broader Pasco County Schools push that has grown the district's kindergarten-through-eighth-grade model to six campuses.
Two brand-new K-8 schools open their doors alongside Skybrooke: Pasco K-8 in Dade City and Paul R. Smith K-8 in Holiday. The expansion means students at those campuses will stay in one building from age 5 through 8th grade, skipping the traditional jump from elementary to middle school.
Superintendent John Legg told Tampa Bay 28 on Monday, Aug. 10, that each side of the county has different reasons for the shift. Declining enrollment drove the west-side merger at Paul R. Smith, where Gulfside Elementary folded into the middle school campus after both buildings sat less than 65% full. On the east side, the district merged Pasco Elementary and Pasco Middle for academic reasons, citing one of the highest student absence rates among the district's 20 middle schools.
Legg said the model provides consistency in academics, behavior expectations and staffing, allowing teachers to know students from kindergarten all the way through 8th grade.
Skybrooke K-8, at 2272 Skybrooke Blvd., earned an "A" school rating in its inaugural year under principal Michele Boylan.
The school runs from 9:40 a.m. to 4 p.m. and also offers a free Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program for eligible 4-year-olds, with wraparound care available. As we reported July 31, the district earned its first overall "A" grade since 2009, with every campus rated C or better.
Parents at Kirkland Ranch K-8 in Wesley Chapel, now in its third year, say the model works for their families. Marcos Padron, whose fourth-grader attends the school, told Tampa Bay 28 that fewer transitions help kids emotionally.
"I think it's a traumatic experience for them when they have to switch school and then meet somebody else when they don't know their environment," Padron said. "So less move is less traumatic for them."
Nearby Starkey Ranch K-8 in Odessa is also part of the six-campus network, along with Chasco K-8 and Kirkland Ranch K-8.
Families living within Skybrooke's attendance boundary are automatically zoned for the school. Out-of-zone families can apply through the Pasco Pathways School Choice program. The school's front office can be reached at (813) 346-4800.
What's ahead
- Thursday, Aug. 13: First day of school for all Pasco County students.
- Sept. 1: Birthday cutoff for VPK eligibility at Skybrooke (children must turn 4 by this date).
