Acceptable DISD Public Schools?

[cordata]

Great post 75124Dad. By middle class I assume you mean "not economically disadvantaged" ? The shift at Geneva Heights is stunning ... which some had predicted a few years ago, still 10 years ago I think it was something like maybe 20% middle class compared to >60% today.

[texstout]

I'm basing my knowledge on which schools that I personally know families from:

Originally Posted by kmann1

Which if any DISD public schools are considered "good" or "acceptable"? e!

Geneva Heights -- Small school - passionate families. I would have no problem sending my kids here.
William Lipscomb - I'm zoned here and have friends who live on Swiss Avenue (million dollar homes) that happily send there kids here. That said, it also pulls from a lot of different areas. If you go with an open mind, I think there is a lot of upswing here.
Dan D Rogers -- Seems like a nice neighborhood
LL Hotchkiss


Alex Sanger
Victor High Hexter - Hexter is awesome. Have you driven around this nice neighborhood with many homes looking at White Rock Lake? A lot of kids move in 4th to a TAG MS.
Reinhardt
Martha Turner Reilly - I don't know anything personally, other than some nice families live here.


Preston Hollow
Arthur Kramer - Passionate family base. Nice North Dallas homes.
John J Pershing


Walnut Hill (did this ever re-open after tornado?)
Tom C Gooch
Harry C Withers - Very passionate family base.
Everette Lee Degloyler

Kramer, Withers, Hexter, Degoyler all send a lot of kids to the TAG MS schools that admit in 4th grade.
Which are the ones considered the "private school corridor"?

How many people utilize the public school system for the ones that feed into Benjamin Franklin middle school and Hillcrest High school? (i.e. if we buy a house in these areas will we be outsiders/part of a tiny minority of people who choose public school?)

[NP78]

Originally Posted by cordata

Great post 75124Dad. By middle class I assume you mean "not economically disadvantaged" ? The shift at Geneva Heights is stunning ... which some had predicted a few years ago, still 10 years ago I think it was something like maybe 20% middle class compared to >60% today.

The whole Wilson feeder is trending that general direction. It has been pretty much linear, but just to give an idea:

% of Economically Disadvantaged Students in the whole Woodrow Wilson Feeder Pattern:

2012-2013: 65.9%

2016-2017: 58.6%

2019-2020: 49.3%



This is pretty interesting because it occurs despite the fact that there are more DISD Magnet/Choice options than ever which are certainly popular with the non-ED families in the Wilson HS zone. Back in 12-13, you didn't have Solar, Sudie, or Mata.

The raw numbers tell a really interesting tale to me beyond the percentages. Back in 12-13 there were 2055 non-ED kids enrolled in the Wilson zone. In 19-20 the number was 3268. That is a dramatic increase in 7 years, but that even understates it because of the Solar/Sudie/Mata numbers I mentioned. I cannot say for sure how many kids from the Wilson zone attend these schools but it is significant. Between them they have about 1100 non-ED kids. Probably at least 1/3 are from the Wilson zone (keep in mind that Mata pulls mostly from the Wilson zone specifically).

We have probably seen at least a 70% increase in non-ED enrollment in DISD schools in that zone in just 7 years.


The point of this is to point out to the OP that within the Wilson zone specifically, you will probably be in the majority of middle class or affluent families rather than the minority by sending your children to public school.

I expect this trend to continue for a variety of reasons.

[texstout]

Originally Posted by NP78

The whole Wilson feeder is trending that general direction. It has been pretty much linear, but just to give an idea:

% of Economically Disadvantaged Students in the whole Woodrow Wilson Feeder Pattern:

2012-2013: 65.9%

2016-2017: 58.6%

2019-2020: 49.3%



This is pretty interesting because it occurs despite the fact that there are more DISD Magnet/Choice options than ever which are certainly popular with the non-ED families in the Wilson HS zone. Back in 12-13, you didn't have Solar, Sudie, or Mata.

The raw numbers tell a really interesting tale to me beyond the percentages. Back in 12-13 there were 2055 non-ED kids enrolled in the Wilson zone. In 19-20 the number was 3268. That is a dramatic increase in 7 years, but that even understates it because of the Solar/Sudie/Mata numbers I mentioned. I cannot say for sure how many kids from the Wilson zone attend these schools but it is significant. Between them they have about 1100 non-ED kids. Probably at least 1/3 are from the Wilson zone (keep in mind that Mata pulls mostly from the Wilson zone specifically).

We have probably seen at least a 70% increase in non-ED enrollment in DISD schools in that zone in just 7 years.


The point of this is to point out to the OP that within the Wilson zone specifically, you will probably be in the majority of middle class or affluent families rather than the minority by sending your children to public school.

I expect this trend to continue for a variety of reasons.

I concur. When I first moved back to Dallas in 2010, I was forewarned by almost everybody I knew that wouldn't want to send my kids to public school (especially as we weren't zoned to Lakewood ES). Nowadays, its very common. I even know families from our former private school that commonly send their kids now to Woodrow for HS.

[75214Dad]

Originally Posted by NP78

The whole Wilson feeder is trending that general direction. It has been pretty much linear, but just to give an idea:

% of Economically Disadvantaged Students in the whole Woodrow Wilson Feeder Pattern:

2012-2013: 65.9%

2016-2017: 58.6%

2019-2020: 49.3%



This is pretty interesting because it occurs despite the fact that there are more DISD Magnet/Choice options than ever which are certainly popular with the non-ED families in the Wilson HS zone. Back in 12-13, you didn't have Solar, Sudie, or Mata.

The raw numbers tell a really interesting tale to me beyond the percentages. Back in 12-13 there were 2055 non-ED kids enrolled in the Wilson zone. In 19-20 the number was 3268. That is a dramatic increase in 7 years, but that even understates it because of the Solar/Sudie/Mata numbers I mentioned. I cannot say for sure how many kids from the Wilson zone attend these schools but it is significant. Between them they have about 1100 non-ED kids. Probably at least 1/3 are from the Wilson zone (keep in mind that Mata pulls mostly from the Wilson zone specifically).

We have probably seen at least a 70% increase in non-ED enrollment in DISD schools in that zone in just 7 years.


The point of this is to point out to the OP that within the Wilson zone specifically, you will probably be in the majority of middle class or affluent families rather than the minority by sending your children to public school.

I expect this trend to continue for a variety of reasons.

FYI you always call it Woodrow. "Wilson" is a high school in DC.

[NP78]

Originally Posted by 75214Dad

FYI you always call it Woodrow. "Wilson" is a high school in DC.

Yeah, my fault, I know better. Just was on my brain because when you look up that data on the DISD data portal you have to look it up by feeder pattern and they list it all under "Wilson schools" and I just wasn't thinking as I was typing.

[turf3]

From what I've heard, schools like Woodrow and Long are really two schools in one: the kids of Lakewood yuppies are one set and the kids that come from those skanky apartments on the other side of the school are the other set. They occupy the same building but that's about all. No idea how that plays out in the real day to day life of the students - either set.

[75214Dad]

Yuppies? Ha we’re not an 80s teen movie.

There aren’t any “skanky” apartments by Woodrow. The large apartment on the Santa Fe trail is rather expensive. The one family that I know that lives there is indistinguishable from the Lakewood families unless you really know their situation.

Our low income families are from Mt Auburn/ many of them are third generation Woodrow grads that contribute a great deal to the school. Most of the others are renters scattered through the area- families doing their best to get a good education- and transfers into the IB program (like the two girls at Harvard currently).

[turf3]

I was talking about Grand Ave and Columbia.

[75214Dad]

Originally Posted by turf3

I was talking about Grand Ave and Columbia.

Yes, there are two large, lower priced (but market rate) apartments that are zoned to Woodrow- almost no kids live in them. Lakewood on Henderson is on Columbia, rents start at $800 for a 1 bedroom. On East Grand there is the Coronado Apartments, rents start at $850. There are a handful of other small buildings throughout East Dallas. The apartments you see farther southwest are zoned to North Dallas or Madison. Everything else is more or less only affordable to families that wouldn't qualify for FRL.

There are a ton of kids that lie about their address to get into Woodrow (20%? 40%? 60%? It's the neighbrohood parlor game). It's mostly considered a problem, but I also know a couple of these kids from babysitting, etc, and they are going to great colleges. Colleges I approve of