The remodeling of Dallas’ H. Grady Spruce High School, a campus that is more than 50 years old, is expected to begin in June.
According to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, the project at this Dallas Independent School District campus includes a partial facade replacement, new floors and fixtures, and additions to athletic and resource centers. The estimated construction cost is $37 million, and the anticipated completion date is January 2026.
About 1,637 students attend H. Grady Spruce. The school was built in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas in 1963 to replace Rylie High School. Renovations are funded through a $3.4 billion bond package for improvements and repairs at more than 200 campuses.
DISD’s $3.7 billion bond election in 2020 — the largest in Texas history, according to The Dallas Morning News — included five propositions, but voters rejected those that would have funded the construction of a performing arts center and stadium and natatorium improvements. At the time of the election, the average age of DISD campuses was almost 52 years old — more than seven years higher than the national average.
Other campuses in the design stage include Dallas Environmental Science Academy, Edwin J. Kiest Elementary School, William Lipscomb Elementary School, Victor H. Hexter Elementary School, Lincoln High School, Justin F. Kimball High School, and Harry C. Withers Elementary School. While 14 campuses are under construction, the work at four others has been completed.
The design firm listed on the state filing is Brown Reynolds Watford Architects of Dallas. In the public education sector, its portfolio includes projects in Dallas, Arlington, and Fort Worth.
The same year as DISD’s bond election, the Texas Public Policy Foundation noted a considerable student enrollment drop from a student body of 157,111 in 2009-2010 to 155,119 in 2018-2019. Paradoxically, Dallas’ population rose from approximately 5,041,000 to 6,201,000 over that same period.
DISD’s loss of students to charters, homeschooling, and other education alternatives can partly be attributed to it logging underwhelming student achievement scores for years.
For instance, just 41% of DISD scored at grade level on the STAAR exam in 2021-2022, whereas the statewide average was 48%, according to the latest available accountability report from the Texas Education Agency. While nearly 20% of its graduating Class of 2022 did not earn a diploma in four years, the statewide average saw exactly 10% fail to do so.
