Newsome High School

16550 Fishhawk Boulevard

School District

Hillsborough
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 29, 2024

I sent my kids to newsome and it’s supposed to be a great school !! They favor to the kids in sports to the point where they don’t get punished !! One of the assistant principals stared at my daughter outside at lunch so she moved inside and he followed her inside and watched her daily .I'm very disappointed i wanted my kids to be at the “best “ school and my daughter graduated and I took my son out of newsome for this terrible behavior from the assistant principles !!!
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2024

We moved here to have our kids attend this great school however time and time again the staff has proven to have flawed procedures. The bathrooms have been closed on and off for years because there is a vaping/drug problem in this school, the school is so over populated that kids just get stuck in any class and then told there are NO options to change classes, all the while still allowing out of county kids in taking over. Counselors won’t or can’t help kids have somewhat of an enjoyable high school experience with class options or guidance. It is very disappointing that this is what we pay such property high taxes.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2023

Excellent HS that provides exceptional education to our teenagers. We are very pleased with the kind staff and student body who welcomes warmly newcomers and allowed easy transition. We are on the outskirts of the school zone so depend on the school bus system, which had been overall very good.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2023

My daughter so far has spent the very first 2 weeks of her freshmen year here at Newsome, she's told me that the school is amazing, and she loves it! She says it is so much better than middle school and that most of the time she looks forward to going to school now. Last year her 8th grade year, she always used to ask me to skip school every single day, so far, my daughter has spent her first two weeks not even mentioning skipping school. I'm so glad that she finally found a nice school. Her grades a perfect so far, and normally she's a C and B girl, but so far, she's a A and B girl. My daughter does have extreme social anxiety and I told her to make sure her teachers knew that before any presentations, so far, her teachers are supportive of her and make sure that she is comfortable in class. Amazing school!
Submitted by other on October 26, 2021

Before I start is says our school has no officer on duty but we do have a resource officer on location everyday during the entire school day.We lost students during the year to accidents and suicides and they offered grief counseling during school to anyone who needed it. I recently graduated from Newsome in the top 2% of my class as well as with my associates degree prior to graduation. I could not have gotten any of that without Newsome and the dual enrollment program that they offer. It is much better than taking an AP class at school as those classes are way harder in work load and you must pass the AP test to even receive credit for college. Newsome offers tons of clubs and sports for everyone. It was a great way for me to meet some of my favorite people and make memories I’ll have forever. The one complaint I have about Newsome is that it’s overcrowded which is not as much an issue during class as it is during passing times, pep rally’s, and lunch. We had over 3,000 kids in for a pep rally in our gym so you can imagine how hot it can get. (Prior to covid). Lunch was also a find your spot the first day or you might be sitting on the floor outside. I loved most of my teachers. I never had one that I hated. You can tell which ones truly love their job and it shows in how they interact with their students. I liked all of our APs during my time there as well as my guidance counselor. As for the APs they were slightly annoying when we tried to plan things for the school like spirit week etc because certain ideas were not allowed. We were still able to make the best of it and they helped us have a great senior year even though covid kind of took it all away. As for parking, our school is overcrowded so currently there aren’t enough spots for all jr and sr. How it works is seniors get first pick of passes and then what is left is first come first serve to the juniors. I got a pass both years with no problem. If you have an ojt class or a dual enrollment reason that you leave school early and you didn’t get a pass, the school works with you to get one. Guidance sends out tons of information on volunteer and scholarship opportunities through canvas. I really enjoyed my time at Newsome and all of the people I met. The experience is different for everyone but it’s mostly a positive one. Most of my friends got into UF first choice and so did a ton of others in our class. Tons of free tutoring offered by the school and great tutors outside of it.
Submitted by parent on June 30, 2021

My son had a wonderful academic and athletic experience the past four years. It’s a big school, but it’s also what you make it. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved and find a niche. Overall, there were less than a handful of teachers we had an issue with as most did a great job preparing him for college.
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2020

Very positive, our son was able to get into the college of his choice and the program of his choice!
Submitted by parent on June 26, 2019

Newsome High School is the best. My son loves this school!!
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2018

Poor. Too many students. Admin, guidance, teachers, and coaches do not seem to care about the kids or even like them. Parents can never get guidance to return a call or email. If your student isn't a star athlete or scholar, they will have a hard time connecting here. The school is so big they have to have pep rallies by grade level because they cannot accommodate all the students. Students have a hard time joining clubs and sports because there are too many students for the available spots. Students cannot even drive to school until they are seniors, some juniors by lottery, because there are too many students and not enough spaces. Very disappointed. The only reason the school does well academically is because most of the students are in private tutoring.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2018

negative 10 not a good experience what so ever.
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2018

I regret ever bringing my student to this school. I would never ever brought them to this school if great schools didn't have them listed as an above average school in Hillsborough County. Stats are NOT everything. I wish I had a tour of the school before I enrolled my kids but the school did not allow it. Plus, there is NO communication between the school and the parents. None. Consider yourself warned.
Submitted by parent on December 17, 2017

Not at all pleased. Most students are succeeding because of their own motivation or parents providing outside tutoring or other support. My students have heard teachers make reference to the students being spoiled rich kids and there is a level of resentment toward the students as if they don't deserve a quality education.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2017

Our experience has been a rough road. We have a bright, 4.0 student, that gets high recommendations from her teachers. However, the guidance dept including guidance counselors and the college/career are horrible. If you are a transfer student in from other schools(military, relocations) you will have to fight for Algebra 1 EOC to be counted for diploma, they will not help your student if they want to go to a college outside of Florida, and the guidance counselors have the same speech for all of the students not matter your students individuality. If medical issues, the nurses will basically drill your students for the necessity to be there even if your students has a IEP or 504 in place.The size of the school is losing the fun high school atmosphere. Pep Rally are limited to 9th and 10th grade in 1 session and 11th and 12th in another. There are only 3 pep rally each year that celebrate all the sports. Homecoming only includes dress up days, dance, and a "golf cart" parade (only decorated by SGA). Parking is limited (proposed in the next year to only be parking for seniors) It is so sad to see what is being given up/lost bc of size. We have had 3 high schools to compare due to military relocations and this by far has been the worse. It is an A rated school and the academic rigor is there....but it is lacking in community, fun, friendly, atmosphere. To be a true 10/10 school they need the academic rigor along with the community pride.
Submitted by parent on July 09, 2017

My daughter just graduated Newsome with a 6.8 GPA. It was an amazing experience for her. My initial concern was that the school isn't diverse. None the less she fit in perfectly from day one after transferring from Plant High School in Tampa, (she was there for 1 week and hated it). The teachers are FABULOUS and the students leave Newsome prepared! The only negative is that Newsome has a HORRIBLE guidance department. It needs a complete overhaul from the overhaul it just had. One counselor for all of the seniors attending college and 1 regular counselor assigned by student's last name who seems to do nothing more than assist with class schedules twice a year. I had several phone calls that were never returned and concerns that were never addressed. Despite the guidance department, I highly recommend the school.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2017

I have a sophomore, a junior and a rising freshman attending Newsome. Our family's experience has been excellent with respect to the quality of education, leadership, extracurricular opportunities and community involvement.
Submitted by parent on March 12, 2017

As a parent and fellow educator, I know that Newsome ranks at the top in my book when it comes to caring teachers, academic expectations, course selections, athletic participation, and safety. Two of my own children attended Newsome and both had great experiences there. Not all schools are perfect, but Newsome comes pretty close.
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2013

Awesome school! My son just graduated and he is so intelligent he is getting offers from the top 3 schools in the world! I owe it all to Newsome! If I could Id give it 17 stars!
Submitted by student on June 27, 2013

I don't really care about these reviews, they are just a lot of fun to read. If you are considering Newsome remember that all of these reviews are from people at either end of the crazy spectrum, and to find out what it's really like you must speak to someone who actually went here. Speaking as a grad who went to two other high schools, Newsome was the best, not perfect, but the best you will find aorund here.
Submitted by parent on September 04, 2012

Overall, a great school, but their front office staff (Christina) is not very helpful. Rather, than answering my questions, she simply said, "Here's the website that will answer your questions." The administration should probably review the quality of service that is being provided.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2012

Newsome High School is in a great community with families that are committed to education. I commend the high rate of students that go on to college! The parts of Newsome that need improvement are the Guidance Department and extracurricular opportunities. The Guidance Department seems overwhelmed with the number of students that depend on them. I have heard of so many complaints of the guidance counselors giving little attention to what is best in individual students interests when putting together schedules. My Daughter and I specifically made an appointment with Guidance before she began at Newsome to discuss her last two years of high school. She could not have been put in worse classes for her future pursuits and academic level. It was if they chose the opposite of what had been discussed and changing a schedule is not easy, even when it is the fault of their department. Extra curricular activities and clubs are not encouraged at Newsome like they should be and are at other schools. With the difficulty of making a sports team at Newsome, clubs and groups should be more available BEFORE and AFTER school for the general student body to get involved.