Dallas ISD Trustee Camile D. White has been named The Dallas Express Bad Apple of Q3 for the thousands of abandoned students stuck in underperforming schools in her education district.

Under The Dallas Express‘ Bad Apple metrics, any student attending a school awarded a Student Achievement Score of 69 or below by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has been abandoned by the school system, the trustee within whose district the student’s campus is located, and the board of trustees as a whole.

White represents Dallas ISD District 4, which stretches out across much of southeastern Dallas and into Balch Springs and Seagoville. In addition to overseeing one of the most troubled school systems in Texas, White is also a precinct chair for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

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Eleven of the 24 campuses in White’s district earned the equivalent of a D or F letter grade for student achievement. During the 2021-2022 school year, 10,043 students were enrolled at these schools and were denied a quality education by the district’s leadership. The vast majority were children of color.

Demographic Breakdown of Students Camile White Abandoned
Student Race Total Abandoned % of Total Abandoned
Hispanic 7,832 78%
Black 1,608 16%
Other 603 6%
Total 10,043 100%

With few readily accessible options outside of their neighborhood school in Dallas ISD, these 10,043 students are stuck in the following schools:

  • John Q. Adams Elementary (56 – F)
  • Ebby Halliday Elementary (67 – D)
  • Kleberg Elementary (67 – D)
  • Richard Lagow Elementary (69 – D)
  • John W. Runyon Elementary (57 – F)
  • Seagoville Elementary (67 – D)
  • Seagoville North Elementary (59 – F)
  • Seagoville Middle (59 – F)
  • Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Fred F. Florence (67 – D)
  • W.W. Samuell High (62 – D)
  • H. Grady Spruce High (59 – F)

As previously reported by The Dallas Express, there is growing support for school choice legislation in Texas, with more and more families already seeking alternatives to underperforming public school districts. The Texas Legislature is expected to address the issue, a priority of Gov. Greg Abbott, in a special session later this year.

The Dallas Express reached out to Trustee White for comment, informing her of how many students in her district were abandoned in failing schools last year. White did not respond by press time.

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