18036 JAVA ISLE DRIVE
Tampa, FL 33647

We have been at HGE for a little over a year, our kid is in 3rd grade now. We absolutely love the teachers we had thus far and the education and caring our kid is receiving. The principal, assistant principal, and other staff at the school are great too. The PTA is very involved, and the school has great activities during class and after hours. I recommend to anyone to join HGE!

I am extremely disappointed with the lack of communication from this school.Apparently there was an 8th grade graduation or promotion ceremony, and I was never informed. I did not receive an email, there was nothing posted on the school website, the events calendar, or Focus. This is a major milestone in a child’s life, and it is heartbreaking that my family missed it because the school failed to properly communicate important information.I have also had frustrating interactions with the administration. On one occasion, I politely asked the principal for the full name and title of an ESE staff member so I could ensure I was directing my concerns to the correct person. It was unnecessarily difficult to obtain this basic information. After I thanked her, she responded with “uh huh” and abruptly hung up the phone. I found this to be dismissive and unprofessional.In addition, the school appears to have limited staffing and resources for students with IEPs. Children with special needs deserve consistent support, effective communication, and the tools they need to succeed academically. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience.Florida as a whole needs to do better for students, especially those with disabilities. Every child learns differently and deserves the support necessary to reach their full potential.

As a parent, my experience with my Wharton high school over the last two years has been extremely disappointing and emotionally exhausting. Despite repeated requests for assistance, meetings, emails, and ongoing concerns regarding academic performance, behavior, and documented disabilities, I have consistently felt unheard and unsupported.My son currently has only a fraction of the credits needed to stay on track academically, yet most communication from the school only occurs after situations have already escalated into disciplinary matters. There appears to be far more focus on punishment than prevention, intervention, or meaningful support.Communication has been one of the biggest issues. Important matters involving attendance, referrals, suspensions, and behavioral concerns are often communicated late—or not at all—until consequences have already been decided. As a parent attempting to work collaboratively with the school, it is incredibly frustrating to constantly feel reactive instead of included in the process early enough to help.I also believe there is a major disconnect in how students with ADHD, Autism, emotional regulation difficulties, and 504 accommodations are being supported in practice. While accommodations may exist on paper, consistency and implementation have been another story entirely.What has been most concerning is watching situations continue to escalate instead of improve. Rather than seeing proactive behavioral support, accountability plans, or academic recovery strategies, many situations have resulted in referrals, suspensions, transportation consequences, and even law enforcement involvement.I understand schools have difficult jobs and limited resources, and I fully believe students must be held accountable for their actions. However, accountability without effective support simply becomes a cycle. Families should not have to fight this hard just to feel informed, included, and supported.My hope is that the district takes a deeper look at how struggling students and overwhelmed families are being supported before more children fall through the cracks.