Dallas ISD earns state B rating, up nine points in four years

The latest school rankings by the Texas Education Agency show that Dallas ISD continues to make progress in the Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, earning an 85 or B rating for 2026, up 9 points since 2023.

According to the data provided by the state, 71% of schools earned an A or a B, and nearly 94% earned an A, B, or C.

Several district legacy high schools saw significant improvements in their rankings, including Dr. LG. Pinkston Sr., South Oak Cliff, Skyline, and David W. Carter, which are all now A-rated campuses. W.H. Adamson High School, which earned an A last year, maintained its rating.

“This is what a blueprint for excellence looks like, and our schools are continuing to improve because of our team, from our teachers to our nurses to our bus drivers to all the support maintenance staff that maintain our buildings,” said Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde. “I have to thank our amazing Board of Trustees who are and remain the most student-focused school board in the entire state. Thanks also to our community for that bond vote that said yes to investing in our students. While a district score of 85 indicates that there is room for growth, we want to take a moment to celebrate what this nine-point increase means for our entire community and for our students in particular.”

Data from the state also shows that the district improved its scores in student achievement, overall progress, academic growth, and relative performance. 

Dallas ISD students performed at or above the state in growth for 92% of all assessed categories. These gains are especially significant among student groups who have historically faced the greatest challenges.

Dallas ISD African American students exceeded state performance in math and social studies across all three achievement levels and outperformed their peers in reading at the gold standard level of Meets in the state assessments. Other student groups—emergent bilingual and economically disadvantaged—also outperformed their state peers in all subjects, especially at the Meets and Masters levels.

These results highlight students’ strong academic growth while Dallas ISD continues to work to implement innovative programs and supports to maintain the momentum. The results also highlight the hard work of teachers, leaders, families, and the Board of Trustees in making student outcomes the center of every decision.

TEA is expected to release the official final results tomorrow.