After years of declining enrollment, Dallas ISD has seen an unexpectedly high number of students enrolled this school year.
Public schools in North Texas have been facing a budget squeeze, and some have even had to consider campus closures, as school enrollment rates declined over issues like flagging student achievement outcomes and the perceived politicization of curricula, as reported by The Dallas Express.
This year, Dallas ISD is seeing the opposite. For the first time in nearly a decade, enrollment is on the rise.
The district expected an enrollment of 137,500 students this year, but more than 139,000 students actually showed up at Dallas ISD schools this month. This is a nearly 2,800-student increase compared to last year’s enrollment numbers at this time of year, and enrollment is expected to rise throughout September.
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde told the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees that most of the growth has come from pre-K and kindergarten enrollment.
Elizalde said she believes parents are beginning to feel more confident about sending their children to school since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
“After declining for nine years in a row, enrollment is up and has already exceeded our projections,” said Elizalde. “That is a testimony to our campus leaders, our teachers, our community partners, our parents, and this Board of Trustees.”
“Thank you to all of the parents, to the teachers, to the principals, to the support staff, to our community who have chosen Dallas ISD as their destination district,” Elizalde said.
District 7 Trustee Ben Mackley echoed Elizalde’s sentiments, adding, “Enrollment is up because of the good work that has happened. This state has had a huge trend down in enrollment, so this is an enormous testament to the students, the staff, the families, and everyone who has been doing the work.”
Dallas ISD has faced enrollment struggles in the past due, in part, to its low student achievement outcomes. According to Texas Education Agency accountability reports, only 41% of students within the district hit the at-grade-level mark on their STAAR tests during the 2021-2022 school year.
Additionally, almost 20% of the graduating Class of 2022 failed to earn a diploma in four years despite the hard work of the system’s dedicated teachers.
