W.T. White High School to launch Scholar TAG Program. Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD News Hub.
Dallas ISD earns a B rating of 85, up nine points in four years
Dallas ISD earned a B with a score of 85—up from a 76 just four years ago—in the Texas Education Agency accountability ratings. The ratings also showed 71% of our campuses are now rated A or B, and our students performed at or above state levels in 92% of measured growth categories. I am especially proud that our students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and our emergent bilingual students outperformed their state peers in every subject. These results reflect years of investment in early learning, a rigorous curriculum, and paying great teachers what they deserve. Thank you, teachers, for continuing to prove that Dallas ISD is the best urban school district in Texas.
Student outcome goals: Progress on all four, targets met on three
The Board of Trustees received its annual update on our four student outcome goals, which track third- and eighth-grade reading and math using an average of all three STAAR performance levels. We made progress on all four goals and beat our targets on three: third-grade reading (47 against a target of 46), eighth-grade reading (55 against 52), and eighth-grade math (55 against 50). Third-grade math improved from 41 to 42 but fell just short of the 42.5 target. Third grade is where reading and math stick, so the administration spent the summer identifying ways to accelerate learning for all third graders, including staffing, stronger writing instruction, and more support for teachers.
Board adopts the lowest tax rate among the 10 largest DFW-area districts
The board adopted a total tax rate of $0.985735 per $100 of property value—a decrease from last year’s rate of $0.993835, and even lower than we projected during the bond election. I would like to note that if your tax bill goes up this year, it is not because of a higher tax rate but because the appraisal district raised the value of your home.
Summer learning by the numbers
Dallas ISD didn’t slow down over the summer. Nearly 30,000 students attended 28 Summer Breeze camps. Summer Cool served almost 13,000 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, and Credit Boost helped 752 high school students earn 994 course credits. About 6,500 teachers and campus leaders participated in summer professional development.
District 1 updates
W.T. White High School launches the Scholar TAG Program
W.T. White’s new Scholar TAG Program is officially underway, starting this fall with select sophomores and juniors. Built on the College Board’s AP Capstone Diploma track, Scholar TAG students will progress through rigorous AP coursework—including AP Seminar and AP Research—while building research, critical thinking, and public speaking skills, with SAT preparation and service learning along the way. The program expands to incoming freshmen next year, and applications for next year’s class open later this fall.
Superintendent visits the Junkins Jaguars
Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde paid a special visit to Jerry R. Junkins Elementary School to welcome students back to school. Thank you, Dr. Elizalde, for spending time with our Jaguars.
Prestonwood Montessori’s Walk of Peace
Primary students at Prestonwood Montessori at E.D. Walker celebrated Maria Montessori’s birthday with a Walk of Peace, carrying posters with messages of love, peace, and unity and singing “Light a Candle for Peace.” A beautiful reminder that even the smallest voices can carry a powerful message.
Upcoming events
– Fall Break, no school
Thank you for the opportunity to serve our students. If you have questions, thoughts, or want to talk about how we can work together to make Dallas ISD the best school district, please reach out at LanceCurrie@dallasisd.org.
Best,
Lance Currie
