DFW High Schools ranked by SAT 2012-2013 (Plano, Garland: credit, middle school)

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by GripeWater

I'm asking myself why most affluent families choose to do otherwise. If WW was as good why would they spend a fortune.

Most? How did you arrive at that estimation?

[GripeWater]

Well, you got me there. It can't be most, most minority students can't afford private schools.

[LakeDad]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

The fact remains that there are many affluent families who choose Woodrow over private and magnet schools. So just ask yourself why they are doing this. If it were that awful would they stay?

I don't think most people think Woodrow is awful. Woodrow's SAT scores reflect that it and its feeder pattern schools lose many of their affluent and higher scoring students to privates, magnets, or other school districts. Given the number of white students and middle/upper class students that have graduated over the past 5 years versus the number of NMSF, the Woodrow pattern is not holding on to the highest scoring students (highly correlated with affluent students). If it did, Woodrow would have at least 5-10 NMSF during the period instead of 1.

Lakehill Prep, over the same 5 year period, has 10 NMSF (wow!) with 75% fewer kids (3 NMSF for 2014 with around 20 students) versus just Woodrow's white students, yet I don't remember you having anything nice to say about them. Lakehill is in Lakewood and a plurality of its students live in the Woodrow feeder pattern (ask one of your neighbors to see their directory.) In fact, the only thing I remember you saying about them was that you implied they used to be racists. The 2013-2014 Lakehill K class is more diverse than Lakewood's 2013-2014 K class. Lakehill's K is about 20% kids of color vs Lakewood's K of 15%. Call Lakehill and ask.

I don't have any friends at Lakehill, but it is a better school than Woodrow with regard to SAT scores, NMSF, and college placement. Everyone I have met from their seems nice, including the 4 or 5 families who live close to me. Same goes for all the other neighborhood privates. Lakewood, like HP/UP, can and does support both public and private schools.

Here's Lakewood Elem.'s recent white enrollment numbers:
White enrollment at K , at 5th, and at 5th as a percentage of K
2013-2014; 132, 59 44.6%
2012-2013; 112, 68, 60.7%
2011-2012; 98, 65, 66.3%
2010-2011; 114, 61, 53.5%
2009-2010; 89, 43, 48.3%
2008-2009; 75, 37, 49.3%
2008-2014; 620, 333, 53.7%

Lakewood loses about half of it's white K class by 5th and another quarter to half by 12th. That's 62% to 75% gone. Those kids go private, magnet, or move. That 62% to 75% is where your missing NMSF and higher SAT scores are versus other schools with similar numbers of white kids. Middle/upper middle class students at Woodrow have and have had access to the same private SAT prep that other students do. That's not a factor in their SAT scores/NMSF results versus other schools.

Finally, I haven't even mentioned TC's long post about Woodrow's shortcomings with regard to Hispanic and other minority students. But I agree with her; Woodrow is doing a poor job with its nonwhite students.

[desidon]

I read a lot of negative comments about Lovejoy on this board but am surprised to see them at #8 overall. Can someone pls explain...

[CMC_TX]

Originally Posted by GripeWater

Well, you got me there. It can't be most, most minority students can't afford private schools.

When I think "most," I think the majority, as in greater than 50% of the school. Considering WW is well over 50% minority & well over 50% economically disadvantaged, I'm not sure what constitutes most. 15% sure doesn't, but maybe that's just me!

I don't understand why falsehoods are being spread that just because "so and so's grandson or cousin" sends their kids to WW it somehow will validate in the minds of everyone else that it's some awesome school.

These scores prove what many have said about WW being inferior to true top performing schools and "many affluent families" sending their kids there is impossible because of the disproportionate # of students there classified as economically disadvantaged.

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

I haven't had time to read the whole thread but let me just say, yes I do wear rose colored glasses (actually wWw Red) and I am a cheerleader for good ol' Woodrow. To me these scores are not dramatic or devastating news, though I admit I'd like to see better ones. Looking at it from another perspective, the news is that Woodrow beat suburban schools in Mesquite, Garland, Irving etc.. and was less than 100 points behind a Frisco high school...

Not quite, Lakewooder... GISD's Garland HS - that has an IB program as does Woodrow - own SAT score was 210 points higher than Woodrow's, 1553 vs. 1343, even though the Economical Disadvantaged count was basically the same at Garland HS (56.8%) vs. Woodrow's (57.0%). In addition, four other GISD HS's also received a higher SAT score than Woodrow's as well - Rowlett HS (1475), Sachse HS (1453), Naaman Forest HS (1425) and North Garland HS (1420) - with only two on the south side - South Garland HS (1320) and Lakeview Centennial HS (1310) - coming in with a lower score than Woodrow's, though certainly not by much.

Garland ISD Ethnicity of Students Ethnic Group - Percentage:
American Indian/Alaskan - 0.50%
Asian -......................... 8.18%
Black/African American... 17.25%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.. 0.07%
Hispanic/Latino............. 49.73%
White.......................... 22.34%
Two or More................... 1.93%

See: GISD Facts & Figures - Demographics & Ethnicity
and: GISD News Articles in the College & Career Category
and: Garland HS School Spirit & History

And, just as a FYI, since Garland is so unnecessarily maligned and immediately dismissed in this forum - as well as thrown under the bus as it was in the quoted post above - here are a few school comparisons that I pulled the stats for - it really IS eye-opening to see the makeup of the figures behind the one average SAT score usually reported:

Garland HS - Garland ISD
Avg SAT: 1553 AA: 1392 Hispanic: 1375 White: 1721 Asian: 1827 Two or More: 1703 Spec Ed: - EconDisadv: 1401
College Ready: 63% AA: 53% Hispanic: 49% White: 86% Asian: 95% Two or More: 63% Spec Ed: 7% EconDisadv: 50% ELL:
2010-2011 Graduates Enrolled in TX Institution of Higher Ed (IHE): 57.5%
2010-2011 Graduates in TX IHE Completing One Year W/O Remediation: 70.2%

Woodrow HS - Dallas ISD
Avg SAT: 1343 AA: 1214 Hispanic: 1246 White: 1599 Asian: - Two or More: - SpEd: n/a EconDisadv: 1227 ELL: n/a
College Ready: 42% AA: 21% Hispanic: 37% White: 66% Asian: - Two or More: - SpEd: 9% EconDisadv: 35% ELL: 4%
2010-2011 Graduates Enrolled in TX Institution of Higher Ed (IHE): 48.4%
2010-2011 Graduates in TX IHE Completing One Year W/O Remediation: 60.0%

Highland Park - Highland Park ISD (HS w/Highest Avg SAT scored in Region)
Avg SAT: 1792 AA: - Hispanic: 1680 White: 1805 Asian: 1751 Two or More: 1752 SpEd: - EconDisadv: -
College Ready: 93% AA: - Hispanic: 83% White: 93% Asian: 91% Two or More: 100% SpEd: 29% EconDisadv: - ELL: -
2010-2011 Graduates Enrolled in TX Inst of Higher Ed (IHE): 54.9%
2010-2011 Graduates in TX IHE Completing One Year W/O Remediation: 88.5%

JJ Pearce HS - Richardson ISD (only one of the four HS's in Richardson ISD to score a higher Avg SAT than Garland HS)
Avg SAT: 1636 AA: 1314 Hispanic: 1418 White: 1702 Asian: 1628 Two or More: - SpEd: n/a EconDisadv: 1346 ELL: n/a
College Ready: 81% AA: 57% Hispanic: 60% White: 93% Asian: 78% Two or More: 100% Spec Ed: 29% Econ Disadv: 60% ELL: -
2010-2011 Graduates Enrolled in TX Inst of Higher Ed (IHE): 64.0%
2010-2011 Graduates in TX IHE Completing One Year W/O Remediation: 82.1%

Disclaimers:
* All stats sourced directly from TEA as described previously in this post:
* While I have nothing whatsoever against Woodrow - I would like to see it persevere and excel in the future as much as I still want Garland HS to do since they both have much in common, i.e., two of the older institutions in the DFW area (Garland HS founded in 1902, Woodrow opened in 1928) with a tremendous alumni following, school spirit, history and tradition - and since my last graduated from Garland HS way back in 1994, I really no longer have a dog in this fight - except for the desire to have the actual facts stated accurately and fairly in this forum, which you are all welcome to do as well!
.

[synchronicity]

As an FYI, I've tried to give Garland HS its props, especially since a thread on NMSF awhile back when a poster specifically brought up Garland HS as where they were from, and a quick look showed that it has stats that, while not quite in Plano/Coppell/Flower Mound/etc. territory, were well above average, even given (as you note) less-than-affluent demographics. Garland ISD overall isn't as good as Garland HS, but it deserves much better treatment than the dismissal it often receives.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by synchronicity

As an FYI, I've tried to give Garland HS its props, especially since a thread on NMSF awhile back when a poster specifically brought up Garland HS as where they were from, and a quick look showed that it has stats that, while not quite in Plano/Coppell/Flower Mound/etc. territory, were well above average, even given (as you note) less-than-affluent demographics. Garland ISD overall isn't as good as Garland HS, but it deserves much better treatment than the dismissal it often receives.

I agree, looks like Garland is doing a solid job educating its kids.

[Big G]

Keep in mind, Garland HS serves as the G/T magnet high school for the entire Garland ISD. That's going to boost the numbers for that particular campus (and lower the ones at the other campuses). In effect, the top-performing kids across the entire district are concentrated at one campus - Garland HS.

In contrast, Woodrow has the top-performing kids in their area of DISD siphoned off by TAG, SEM, etc.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Big G

Keep in mind, Garland HS serves as the G/T magnet high school for the entire Garland ISD. That's going to boost the numbers for that particular campus (and lower the ones at the other campuses). In effect, the top-performing kids across the entire district are concentrated at one campus - Garland HS.

In contrast, Woodrow has the top-performing kids in their area of DISD siphoned off by TAG, SEM, etc.

I didn't think about any of that - thx.