The Hillsborough County Public School District, commonly known as HCPS, encompasses all of the Hillsborough County side of Tampa Bay, covering roughly 1,266 square miles. It is the 4th largest school district in Florida and the 8th largest in the country with more than 223,000 students in 300 schools. HCPS offers Gifted Education and Advanced Placement courses and is an International Baccalaureate participant. In 2009, Hillsborough County Public School was awarded a $100 million dollar grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fund the "Empowering Effective Teachers" plan.