Lithia Springs Elementary School

4332 Lynx Paw Trail

School District

Hillsborough
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
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 11, 2023

When my daughter started school here principal Kevin Martin was in charge and he was just great. Amber Cronin leaves much to be desired. She seems to put emphasis on metrics that improve her image and not the school as a whole (attendance, testing, Bucs rallying) I love volunteering but have found her to be very disrespectful to parents and the PTA. Recent security threats at the school have me concerned as protocols are inconsistent and change daily. Principal offers no comfort or assurance to parents. Principal Martin always kept us updated and reassured. A major threat made with zero followup to parents. Students walked between classrooms under an active “lock in”. The lights for the alarms malfunctioning during active lock in without notice to parents about how this was going to be addressed. Im very worried that in a real emergency this current principal Cronin lacks the leadership skills to keep the school safe. My fingers are crossed she finds the promotion she is currently looking for and we get someone new. The school as a whole is not bad. Many experienced and caring teachers work here. Too bad several teachers left when Mr. Martin transferred. I don’t blame them considering his personality and professionalism was night and day compared to what we have now.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2023

Principal says one thing to your face and does the opposite. PTA is a dictatorship. If your kid has a IEP run. They do not care who is picking up the kids in carline. Super unsafe. What you think as a parent truly does not matter to administration. You won't hear much from teachers but if they are dealing with the same, lacking admininstration/ leadership at the school Im sure they have enough on their plates.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2021

What happened to the school? It used to be the best school around Valrico, Lithia. It seems like now the principal and vice principal just don’t care what the parent’s input is. It’s such a shame that this was once a great school and now it is longer great.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2020

It’s been a great comfort to know that my kids are in a great learning environment
Submitted by parent on August 05, 2019

Absolutely awful. They need to focus on teaching instead of making false accusations
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2018

Wonderful school!!! I couldn’t have asked for a better school
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2017

I want to start with the fact that I came with my parents and younger brother from another country. The brother had to go to the 4th grade and we worried about him because he didn't know English at all. As it turned out later, we had nothing to worry about. Teachers helped him throughout the year, found a dictionary for him, helped him in every possible way, and now, by the end of his first year in this school, he began to speak English, and most importantly understand what the children and teachers are talking about. I believe that this is a huge and painstaking work, carried out by the staff of the school, deserves a respect. I can say without any doubt that this is the best school I've ever seen.
Submitted by other on September 29, 2014

My twin grandchildren attend Lithia elementary in Valrico. Visiting last week from out of county, my son and I were in the car line to pick up the children as school let out. Again, it was re-assuring to see an adult school staff member walk the line of cars with a clipboard checking for the required car sign and checking off the name on a clipboard. My 3rd grade grandchildren had GLOWING smiles as we approached them. Yes, they were happy to see me, but it also let me know, ALL was well in school. Both children confirmed this, when I asked, "How was school today?" hearing their genuine response of "Fine." Was not only the word, but the enthusiasm in their voices, that confirmed all is well at their school!
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2014

This is a wonderful school and I will be sad to leave in five years. If you can choice in over other schools in the area then you should. Most of the schools around are excellent but they do not share the same level of intimacy as Lithia Springs. When I do finally leave I would have spent 15 years there and due to the kids age differences. What was I thinking you ask? Not sure, but I am so glad we stayed at Lithia Springs even though we moved.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2014

Great school! I find the leadership at this school to be absolutely outstanding. They handle some difficult situations calmly and fairly. The teachers are definitely hit or miss, as indicated in many of the other reviews. I have two students at this school and am glad we moved here to be near this set of schools (we've been here two years). The parents are generally very involved, and the PTA teams up with the school to create some innovative fun activities for the kids that are well organized and executed. The school could be improved with much better communication of homework to parents. They have an online communication system, but the teachers are not using it. There is a lot of homework and sometimes we feel that we are doing a lot of teaching at home without knowing the lesson. At same time, though, I feel it's important for parents to play a role in their child's education. I would also like to see better integration of topics across subjects and much more technology integration as well as a thorough discussion of digital literacy and plagiarism. All-in-all, though, it's a great choice.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2014

This is the best school around, high quality, great staff.safe place to send my child in everyday.friendly teachers and staff ready to help when I needed to.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2013

Incredible staff and individual attention to each of our children's needs. Proximity to Riverhills Community Club makes the location ideal!
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2013

This is our first year at Lithia Springs Ele. and I am very pleased. The staff is professional and friendly. They work very hard to create a happy, welcoming and fun environment for all of the students and families. My daughter's teacher brings out the absolute best in her students.
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2011

LSES is a very serious school. Test scores, tests and disciple are held in the highest regard. Play and fun are scheduled activities. If you are looking for an academically rigorous school you will be very happy. The staff often seems stressed and unfriendly which is very concerning for an elementary school. The teachers use technology at a minimum. Only a few teachers have a web page and there is no use (in our case) of email to communicate school activities, homework or important dates reminders. I have also found LSES to be insensitive or uneducated on the unique lifestyles of military families and military children. They seem to have limited knowledge on how to manage and cope with these issues. The facilities at the school appear to be in good shape and well maintained. It also seems they have enough resources for all the children and there are no shortages of materials. The PTA is very active and engaged. They do an excellent job of getting information out to the families.