In 1987, West Tampa Elementary School opened in its new pod-type building in the multicultural neighborhood northwest of downtown Tampa. The new edition of the school was opened by Carl Barone. However, the roots of this school date back to the 1920's. Today's West Tampa Elementary has a direct lineage to earlier city schools: A.L. Cuesta Elementary, Macfarlane Park Elementary, and West Tampa Middle School. The first building erected on this site dates back to 1927 when it was a junior high. However there is an earlier reference to West Tampa School in the 1873 Board minutes making it one of the oldest schools in the district. Just as these schools served a diverse population during their years of operation, West Tampa Elementary serves a diverse population today.

(Source: The HIstory of Hillsborough County Schools: 1848-2000. Compiled by the Department of Research and Development, June 2000.)