Lakewood's Woodrow Wilson ranked 1159th in the state? (Dallas, Plano: fit in, neighborhood)

[Lakewooder]

Thanks TC - I would also point out that on greatschools you will see that Woodrow gets a 10 for Talented and Gifted and has approximately twice the state average of those students - and that figure is also a couple of years old.

[racehorse]

Our elementary school is a "School Digger 5-Star School" (preen) whatever that means. I've heard very good things about the school.

[DaveG99]

Don't ever talk bad about Lakewood! (the greatest neighborhood in the universe)

[DFW_Mike]

I’ve been researching this topic for a while as well as we are moving back to DFW after a 5 year transfer to Seattle.

My analysis:

Woodrow certainly has a fervent fan base here on City Data

It seems to have strong intangibles. Objectively it does not appear to be a competitive academic institution.

The Schooldigger.com rating is based on actual student performance (TAKS test). Woodrow students rank in the bottom 20% of the state in reading and math. It actually dropped 117 spots from the prior year.

The Newsweek ranking is based on how many “advanced” tests are put in front of students. It does not reflect if they actually passed the test. Only 27 percent of Woodrow students actually passed an
AP test. That falls below: Dallas White, Garland and Richardson. Far behind Highland Park, the Dallas Magnet Schools and Peak Academies (impressive). The Woodrow SAT scores look to be the best feather in the cap.

I realize that substantial, solid data does not tell the whole story about any situation. However, as I stated above, Woodrow does not appear to be academically competitive vs other area schools. The elementary and middle schools are in the same boat.

The lack of diversity is another knock for us. As a Hispanic family , we would like our kids exposed to other cultures. My research shows white students represent 1.5 kids per 10, and black kids one out of every 10. The number of white and black students has been trending downward for the past two decades.

Lakewood is still on our list of areas to consider. A DISD school is probably not.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by DFW_Mike

Woodrow does not appear to be academically competitive vs other area schools. The elementary and middle schools are in the same boat.

So, you are including Lakewood and Stonewall Jackson elementaries in this conclusion?

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by DFW_Mike

I realize that substantial, solid data does not tell the whole story about any situation. However, as I stated above, Woodrow does not appear to be academically competitive vs other area schools. The elementary and middle schools are in the same boat.

As I said in my earlier post, each family must decide for itself which rout to take for grades 6-12. But your research is off-track if it's led you to believe Lakewood and Jackson elementary schools are "uncompetitive". Absolutely off track.


Here is Lakewood's report card. It is diverse (74% white, 21% Hispanic, 2% black, 3% other and 20% economically disadvantaged). It has been an Exemplary rated school for many years now with 96-99% pass rates on TAKS and 60-70% commended rates. 100% of parents are satisfied with the quality of education.
http://www.dallasisd.org/scorecards/pdfcards/171E_LAKEWOOD.pdf (broken link)

Here is Stonewall Jackson's-->
Even more diverse than Lakewood (59% white, 20% Hispanic, 10% black, 6% other and 30% economically disadvantaged), the school has also been Exemplary rated for many years. TAKS pass rates range from 94-100% with 50-77% commended. 98.7% of parents are satisfied with educational quality.
http://www.dallasisd.org/scorecards/pdfcards/162E_S_JACKSON.pdf (broken link)

Application Dispatcher
Here is the Woodrow TEA report. To be blunt, the white students are the wealthy ones who go on to have academic success in high school and college. The other races tend to lag behind unless their families actually prioritize education like your family does. That is why I focus so much on the white student's results, like the SAT performance.
In this report you'll see that 57% of white students pass the AP exams. This is not far behid Highland Park's pass rate of 65%. White students have a higher attendance rate and a significantly higher college readiness rate @ 82%. 97% of white students took the SAT vs 34% of Hispanics.
It is a tale of two schools- the elite performers and the slackers/stragglers. You know which bucket your kids will be in so when/if you visit the school and do your research, try to see the school from that perspective vs the blended averages.

[TurtleCreek80]

Plano West has a lower percentage of white students who are college ready than Woodrow, FWIW.

[Lakewooder]

I wouldn't call all the rest slackers and stragglers but we do have those - as I have posted elsewhere, in my long-term opinion it is good for the academically competitive students to be friends with them and vice-versa. It lends perspective and social intellegence. Qualitative and quantitative...the wellspring of wisdom.

Something not apparent in many statistics is that Woodrow houses the regional school for the deaf and has a large special-needs unit. There is a 'choir' which performs strictly in sign-language and movements. It is unique and adds to the overall experience for everyone.

And the statistics are a bit-backward looking since the impact of offering International Baccalaurate will be come more apparent over the next few years. Woodrow was certified as an IB World School in March but offered Pre-IB for ninth graders for 2010 and 2011. It's also changing some of the demographics.

Speaking of demographics, check out this list of 2011 senior honors: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&p...hMWFk&hl=en_US at woodrowwildcats.org I don't think we have ever had this many hispanics on the list. So progress is being made. Also I don't think you can just say 'hispanic' as a monolithic group at Woodrow. I have a friend who graduated in '91 who is black and her children are 1/2 hispanic (her son was commended on TAKS this year). The salutatorian this year is 1/2 hispanic also...

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Plano West has a lower percentage of white students who are college ready than Woodrow, FWIW.

Also if you check the Washington Post list of top schools - Southlake Carroll, which finished behind Woodrow, has virtually the same E&E.

[TurtleCreek80]

Yes, I was generalizing and of course not 100% of Hispanic students are slackers but only a small percent of them are part of the academic elite. On the flip side, not 100% of the white Woodrow kids are outstanding but the vast majority are. The proof is in the numbers.