Spoto High School

Founding

Spoto High School was founded in honor of Richard C. Spoto, a Tampa native who had dedicated 41 years to local education and athletics in Hillsborough County. After attending the University of Tampa on a football scholarship and also serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, Spoto became the Hillsborough County Public School System's first director of health and physical education.^[3] Within the county, he also served as the principal for several area schools, most notably Hillsborough High School and Saint Mary's Episcopal Day School.^[4] Spoto would appear often at the high school for events, until he died on January 31, 2010.^[5]

The school was built to accommodate the rapidly growing population within the Southern Hillsborough County area. Early structural engineering and design oversight had involved multiple regional engineering firms, including principal in-charge work by TRC Worldwide Engineering, Inc.^[6]

When Spoto High School opened its doors for the 2006–2007 academic year, its first principal was Clyde Trathowen, who would guide the school through its foundation years and establish its first athletic and academic programs.^[7]

School expansion

In the early 2020s, Spoto High School began a significant campus expansion in order to address rapid population and enrollment growth in the Riverview area. Planning for the project was formalized within Hillsborough County Public Schools' five-year work plan by September 2020, as the district aimed to mitigate a regional "school capacity crisis".^[8][9] The project was officially adopted into the 2021-2022 Five Year Facilities Work Plan by the HCPS School Board on October 5, 2021.^[9]

Construction of the $16 million classroom addition, which was designed by Long & Associates and managed by Ajax Building Company, began in December 2021.^[10][11] The project involved the construction of a 33,000-square-foot, two-story building on a portion of the pre-existing student parking lot, necessitating early infrastructure and utility relocation for the build.^[11]

The expansion was completed on May 28, 2023, which provided approximately 500 new student stations.^[11][10] The new wing also features modern biology and chemistry labs, a culinary arts teaching kitchen, and a second-story pedestrian bridge connecting it to the original classroom buildings (specifically the "300" building).^[10] The exterior of the building is distinguished by a backlit Spartan logo with color-changing LED lighting.^[10] The building opened for student use at the beginning of the 2023–2024 school year.^[11]

In late 2024, the school further expanded student services by opening the Student Center of Postsecondary Exploration (SCOPE). This was funded through a partnership with the Hillsborough Education Foundation, The Mosaic Company, and TECO. The center provides a dedicated space for students to consult with counselors on college and career transition planning.^[12]

School grade

The Florida Department of Education appraises schools on an annual bases and assigns each a letter grade based on their academic achievement, graduation rates, and other metrics. Between the school years of 2020-2021 and 2022-2023, Spoto High School received a 'C' grade. The school's grade has since improved to a 'B' for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.

Dual enrollment and Collegiate Academy

Spoto High School gives students the opportunity to earn college credit via dual enrollment in partnership with Hillsborough College (HC). Students must apply in their 8th grade year and have an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher to enroll in dual enrollment, with an additional requirement being that they take and pass Algebra 1 or Algebra 1 Honors. Through the school's Collegiate Academy program, students can take college courses directly on the high school's campus, with the additional option to take them online directly through HC. The program allows students to earn up to 60 college credit hours, providing a full Associate in Arts (AA) pathway for those who are looking to earn their degree alongside their high school diploma. Courses completed at HC are used to satisfy both state high school graduation requirements and college credit. In alignment with the Hillsborough County Public Schools policy, dual enrollment courses receive the same weighting towards students' GPA as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, though Spoto High School does not currently offer IB courses on its campus.^[14][15]

Virtual School

Spoto High School allows students to concurrently enroll part-time in Hillsborough Virtual School (HVS), a Florida Virtual School (FLVS) franchise. HVS offers a majority of FLVS courses, allowing students to take AP and Honors courses that are not offered on campus. Students can also use HVS for credit recovery in classes needed for graduation, such as Algebra 1 and Geometry. Spoto High School allows students to opt for a "Virtual School on Campus" period to have dedicated time to complete these courses during the school day, usually in place of an elective course.^[16]