|
Dallas ISD District 1 Newsletter – August 2026 Recap
Note: Please see our website for Spanish version when available.
Welcome back! On August 11, Dallas ISD welcomed students back for the 2026-2027 school year, and our teachers and staff have the year off to a strong start.
August also brought big news from the State of Texas: Dallas ISD earned a "B" rating of 85, up nine points in four years. More below.
If you know of others that would appreciate this newsletter, they can sign up at www.lancecurrie.com/newsletter.
Dallas ISD Updates
Dallas ISD Earns a “B” Rating of 85, Up Nine Points in Four Years: The Texas Education Agency released its academic accountability ratings, and Dallas ISD earned a “B” with a score of 85—up from a 76 just four years ago. 71% of our campuses are now rated “A” or “B,” and our students performed at or above state levels in 92% of measured growth categories. I am especially proud that our students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and our emergent bilingual students outperformed their state peers in every subject. These results reflect years of investment in early learning, rigorous curriculum, and paying great teachers what they deserve. Thank you, teachers, for continuing to prove that Dallas ISD is the best urban school district in Texas.
Student Outcome Goals: Progress on All Four, Targets Met on Three: The Board received its annual update on our four Student Outcome Goals, which track third- and eighth-grade reading and math using an average of all three STAAR performance levels. We made progress on all four goals and beat our targets on three: third-grade reading (47 against a target of 46), eighth-grade reading (55 against 52), and eighth-grade math (55 against 50). Third-grade math improved from 41 to 42 but fell just short of the 42.5 target. Third grade is where reading and math either stick or they don’t, so the administration spent the summer identifying ways to accelerate learning for all third graders, including staffing, stronger writing instruction, and more support for novice teachers.
Board Adopts the Lowest Tax Rate Among the 10 Largest DFW-Area Districts: The Board adopted a total tax rate of $0.985735 per $100 of property value—a decrease from last year’s rate of $0.993835, and even lower than we projected during the bond election. That is the lowest tax rate among the ten largest school districts in the DFW area. As always, one important note: if your tax bill goes up this year, it is not because of a higher tax rate—it is because the appraisal district raised the value of your home.
Summer Learning by the Numbers: Dallas ISD didn’t slow down over the summer. Nearly 30,000 students attended 28 Summer Breeze camps (up from about 26,000 last year), Summer Cool served almost 13,000 students in pre-K through eighth grade, and Credit Boost helped 752 high school students earn 994 course credits. Our educators were learning too: about 6,500 teachers and campus leaders participated in summer professional development, including the district’s first AI Summit. Investing in our people works.
District 1 Updates
Here are highlights from our District 1 schools. Please e-mail any ideas you have for highlights to LanceCurrie@dallasisd.org.
-
W.T. White Launches the Scholar TAG Program: W.T. White’s new Scholar TAG Program is officially underway, starting this fall with select sophomores and juniors. Built on the College Board’s AP Capstone Diploma track, Scholar TAG students will progress through rigorous AP coursework—including AP Seminar and AP Research—while building research, critical thinking, and public speaking skills, with SAT preparation and service learning along the way. The program expands to incoming freshmen next year, and applications for next year’s class open later this fall. Thank you to Principal Wing and the W.T. White team for building this advanced academic pathway in our neighborhood schools.
-
Dr. Elizalde Visits the Junkins Jaguars: Superintendent Elizalde paid a special visit to Jerry R. Junkins Elementary to welcome students back to school. Thank you, Dr. Elizalde, for spending time with our Jaguars—and thank you to the Junkins team for a great start to the year.
-
Prestonwood Montessori’s Walk of Peace: Primary students at Prestonwood Montessori at E.D. Walker celebrated Maria Montessori’s birthday with a Walk of Peace, carrying posters with messages of love, peace, and unity and singing “Light a Candle for Peace.” A beautiful reminder that even the smallest voices can carry a powerful message.
-
Foster Celebrates Its Teachers and Staff: Congratulations to Stephen C. Foster Elementary’s August honorees: Teacher of the Month Ms. Cruz, recognized for her patience and grace as a new member of the Falcon family, and Staff Member of the Month Ms. Tejada, who keeps dismissal running smoothly and safely. Thank you for taking such good care of our students.
Upcoming Events
- Friday, September 4 – W.T. White Feeder Pattern Night – a fun night of football and celebrating our future Longhorns
- Monday, September 7 – Labor Day – No School
- Thursday, September 10 at 4:00 p.m. – Dallas ISD Board Briefing (5151 Samuell Blvd)
- Thursday, September 24 at 6:00 p.m. – Dallas ISD Board Meeting (5151 Samuell Blvd)
- Thursday–Friday, October 8-9 – Fall Break – No School
Thank you for the opportunity to serve our students and community. If you have questions, thoughts, or want to talk about how we can work together to make Dallas ISD the best school district in the country, please reach out. I’m happy to grab coffee or set up a Zoom call. Just e-mail me at LanceCurrie@dallasisd.org or lance@lancecurrie.com.
Thank you,
| 
