Thousands of Dallas ISD students participate in extracurricular programs

Nearly 19,000 students across Dallas ISD are embracing opportunities to engage in academic and competitive extracurricular activities.

The district offers 12 extracurricular programs to elementary and secondary schools. These include cheer, chess, debate, decathlon, Designation Imagination, esports, and UIL academics, to name a few.

The number of students signing up for after school programming has steadily increased over the last few years, said Leonidas Patterson, director of Student Activities. This is due, in part, to the department’s focus on expanding programming for elementary students, he said.

“As a result, most of the districtwide programs sponsored by the department are vertically aligned so that students can participate from elementary to their senior year in high school,” Patterson said. 

In total, 18,900 elementary and secondary students participated in extracurricular programming at their school during the 2024-2025 fall semester. 

To accommodate growing demand across Dallas ISD, Student Activities expanded its programming by adding more tournaments for its most popular extracurricular activities.

For example, instead of two districtwide chess tournaments, the department hosted five competitions to accommodate 3,013 student competitors. More tournaments were also added for Texas Math Science Coaches Association esports and elementary cheer. On average, the department organized at least three academic extracurricular events every Saturday of the semester, ensuring students had ample opportunities to showcase their talents.

By remaining involved in these activities, students are honing their skills, fostering teamwork, and tackling new challenges. 

“Simply said, participation in extracurriculars impacts the overall success of a school community,” said Sharla Hudspeth, executive director of Extracurricular & Extended Learning. “When students are involved in extracurricular activities, they are more engaged in their educational journey, both academically and socially.”

A key piece to the continued success of extracurricular activities are the teachers who make the programs happen for their students, Patterson said.

“Student Activities depend on more than 1,900 teachers each year to serve as academic coaches for our districtwide programs,” Patterson said. “These dedicated professionals work after school and on weekends, beyond teaching their classes, to make sure that students have a more dynamic and impactful school experience through participation in extracurricular activities.”