Tampa Preparatory School was established in 1974, with George Wolfenden as Headmaster. Joe Wandke was the Headmaster at the School from 1979 to 1983, before he left for Pebble Beach, California, to become the President at the Robert Louis Stevenson School until 2015. In 1991 seventh and eighth grades were added and in 1997 the school began offering classes for the 6th grade. In 2002 the school moved to its new site across the street from the University of Tampa, whose campus it once shared.
Campus
The school's 11.2-acre (45,000 m2) campus includes a 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) school complex including a 32,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) sports complex. Both the Middle and Upper Schools feature Active Learning Environments (ALEs).[2] The Peifer Library houses over 12,000 books and periodicals. Tampa Preparatory School opened a new Student Center in January 2013. In May of 2023, Tampa Preparatory School began constructing the Genshaft & Greenbaum Building of Learning & Discovery (BOLD), a four-story complex set to become the central hub of the campus. It is scheduled to be completed in late Fall 2024.
Athletics
Tampa Prep is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association and fields teams in sports including lacrosse, baseball, bowling, cross-country, swimming and diving, crew, volleyball, soccer, basketball, track and field, golf, tennis, wrestling, and softball.