6 April 24 - 30, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Failing Grad Grade Dallas ISD has the worst graduation rate of major Texas Districts. BY ALYSSA FIELDS D allas Independent School Dis- trict reported the lowest four- year graduation rate of the 14 school districts within Dallas County, according to annual data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The TEA compiles annual data on four- year high school graduation rates for each school district across the state. It measures the percentage of students who graduate by their anticipated four-year graduation date. The data does not include graduates who took more than the average of four years to graduate, nor does it include students who unenroll for reasons other than dropping out. The most recent data, analyzing the 2023 graduating class, echoes the pains of budgeting shortfalls plaguing Dallas ISD. Dallas ISD had a four-year graduation rate of 81.4%, the lowest within the county by 6.6% and the lowest of all major districts in the state. Overall, school districts within Dal- las County had an average graduation rate of 92.4%. According to the Texas Tribune, the state average for high school seniors who re- ceived their diplomas on time for the class of 2023 was 90.3%, so in general, Dallas County high schools fare comparably well. There is a correlation between students’ socioeconomic level and class size and higher graduation rates. Sunnyvale ISD and Highland Park ISD graduated 141 and 559 seniors, respectively. Both districts had fewer than six seniors who did not receive their diplomas in 2023. On the other hand, Dallas ISD graduated 8,187 out of 10,062 stu- dents in the same year. The average home price within the re- gion Highland Park ISD serves is over $1 million, and Sunnyvale homes can easily reach seven figures. At the same time, 90% of students attending Dallas ISD schools are economically disadvantaged, according to a 2024 press release from the district. Houston ISD, the only Texas district with more students than Dallas ISD, had 13,637 seniors in 2023, graduating 83% of that class. El Paso ISD and Austin ISD, with less than 5,000 seniors each, witnessed 84.1% and 90.9% graduation rates, respectively. Austin ISD has the highest graduation rate of any major city in Texas. Fort Worth ISD, with just over 5,500 seniors, had the closest grad- uation rate to Dallas ISD, with 81.7% of the senior class finishing within four years. Here are the four-year graduation rates for Dallas County school districts from spring 2023: 14. Dallas ISD: 81.4% 13. DeSoto ISD: 88% 12. Cedar Hill ISD: 88.6% 11. Richardson ISD: 90.2% 10. Irving ISD: 90.5% 9. Grand Prairie ISD: 90.7% 7. (Tied) Duncanville ISD: 91.9% 7. (Tied) Mesquite ISD: 91.9% 6. Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD: 92% 5. Garland ISD: 93.5% 4. Lancaster ISD: 97.3% 3. Coppell ISD: 98.7% 2. Highland Park ISD: 99.1% 1. Sunnyvale ISD: 99.3% Dallas ISD is operating under a current $186 million deficit caused by inflation, ac- cording to their announcement of their 2025 legislative priorities. Like many others, the district is hopeful that the Texas Legislature will finally increase the basic allotment. However, bills related to the issue have failed to pass during the last two sessions. Budget analysts for the Texas House of Representa- tives estimate that in order to recover losses from inflation, the basic allotment would need to increase by $7,950, or $1,790, by 2027. Budgeting has been a primary concern for Dallas ISD, and despite a total budget of $2.25 billion, providing for nearly 140,000 students at 240 schools proves challenging. “Money will never be an excuse in Dallas ISD in terms of providing our students a safe, quality education,” said Dallas ISD Superin- tendent Stephanie Elizalde in a press release. ▼ HEALTH ‘PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY’ THE STATE OF FOOD INSECURITY IN DALLAS COUNTY ISN’T GREAT. BY EMMA RUBY D ata presented last week to the Dallas City Council’s Workforce, Educa- tion, and Equity Committee shows that Dallas County is experiencing a higher rate of food insecurity, especially among children, than at the state or national levels. Even as Dallas County increases its num- ber of programs aimed at increasing the availability, awareness and access to healthy food choices, the most recent data shows Dallas is now more food insecure, not less. According to county data from 2022, the most recent year for which analysis is avail- able, 25% of children in Dallas County lack adequate access to food compared to 16% in Texas and 14% nationally. There is also a racial divide when it comes to access to healthy food in Dallas County; the data shows its a disparity that is growing more significant with time. Whereas 25% of Black Dallasites reported experiencing food insecurity in 2020, that number is now 29% — higher than the na- tional average. Amongst Latinos, 21% re- ported lacking access to affordable, healthy foods, and white respondents recorded food insecurity at a 10% rate. A map presented to the council shows that southern Dallas, especially neighbor- hoods surrounding Interstates 35 and 45, experiences the highest food insecurity rate across Dallas. The map is nearly identical to one displaying Dallas’ highest rate of chronic disease burden; Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Hu- man Services, told the council the two are inextricably linked. “Food insecurity is a social determinant of health [and is] associated with poor health outcomes [such as] coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer,” Huang said. “And so there is sort of that cy- cle of food insecurity and its relationship to chronic diseases.” In response to the data, South Dallas has been the target of several of Dallas County’s food access initiatives. Many DCHHS Com- munity Garden grants have been distributed south of I-30; the grants help connect food- producing community gardens to master gardeners to increase crop yields. DCHHS funds also helped start the For Oak Cliff Farmers Market in District 4, which has served nearly 5,000 customers and offers a satellite location for Parkland Hospital health screenings. But in many cases, an area such as District 4 lacks the basics, said council member Caro- lyn King Arnold. She regularly hears from constituents that there is a need for more gro- cery stores, and though she has often asked grocers to build in District 4, she has been met with reluctance from retail- | UNFAIR PARK | Getty Images Only 81.4% of Dallas ISD 2023 seniors graduated on time, 17.9% lower than the school district with the highest graduation rate. Adobe Stock Dallas County kids have a higher rate of hunger than Texas or national rates. >>p8
