DeSoto Independent School District

DeSoto Independent School District is a school district based in DeSoto, Texas (USA). The district covers most of DeSoto, the Dallas County portion of Glenn Heights, and a section of Ovilla in Dallas County, as well as a small portion of Cedar Hill.[1]

For the district with a similar same name in DeSoto, Kansas, see De Soto USD 232. For the district with a similar same name in DeSoto County, Mississippi, see DeSoto County School District.
DeSoto Independent School District
Location of DeSoto ISD in Dallas County
Location
DeSoto, Texas, USA
District information
TypePublic
SuperintendentDr. Usamah Rodgers
Students and staff
Enrollment8,716 (2021-2022)
Faculty1,051 (2021-2022)

In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.[2]

Dr. Usamah Rodgers was chosen to lead the district as superintendent in May 2022.[3]

History

In 2005 Alton Frailey, superintendent of the district, said that the affluence within some students in the district lead to apathy regarding school performance. Frailey said that many African American parents from the previous generation had tried very hard to improve their socioeconomic status, but some of their children may believe that they will easily attain what they wish in life, or believe that education is not a priority.[4] With a current enrollment just over 8700 students, DeSoto ISD is a small, suburban district 15 miles south of Dallas in north Texas. The 23-square-mile district serves students in DeSoto, Glenn Heights, and Ovilla with 12 campuses and 1051 total of staff and employees.

In 2016, DeSoto ISD reported that 80% of its high school students where of Black or African-American descent, making it a predominantly black school for the first time ever.[5]

In the 2018-19 school year, DeSoto ISD addressed several community concerns in a public release document.[6] According to the issue, DHS struggled with low morale and retention rates amongst educators. This was listed as a root cause of low student performance. Low teacher morale was assumed to be caused by the fact that the school had 3 principals in last 4 years in 2018.

In 2021 DeSoto ISD implemented a mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas and kept it in place even when the Texas Supreme Court upheld Governor of Texas Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates.[7]

Schools
High Schools (Grades 9-12)
Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)
Elementary Schools (Grades K-5)

Other Schools

Student Demographics

DeSoto ISD student demographic figures as of the 2005-2006 school year:

Enrollment
  • High School (3100)
    • DeSoto High
  • Junior High Schools (1,464)
    • DeSoto East (637)
    • DeSoto West (827)
  • Intermediate Schools (1,249)
    • Amber Terrace (674)
    • The Meadows (575)
  • Elementary Schools (3,032)
    • Cockrell Hill (655)
    • Frank D. Moates (707)
    • Northside (473)
    • Ruby Young (523)
    • Woodridge (674)
  • Other (23)
    • PASS Learning Center (23)

Ethnicity and economic status

African American 6,243 74.24%
Hispanic 1,249 14.85%
White 834 9.92%
Asian 63 0.75%
Native American 20 0.24%
Total 8,409 100.00%

In 1997 over half of the DeSoto ISD students were non-Hispanic white. From that year until 2016 the number of non-Hispanic white students declined by 91% to 2016, when 3% of the students were non-Hispanic white. Eric Nicholson of the Dallas Observer wrote that because of the "relatively small" sizes of southern Dallas County school districts, the demographic changes were relatively more severe compared to districts in other parts of the county.[8]

From 1997 to 2016 the number of students on free or reduced lunches, a way of designating someone as low income, increased by 400%.[8]

Eric Nicholson of the Dallas Observer wrote that because of the "relatively small" sizes of southern Dallas County school districts, the demographic changes were relatively more severe compared to districts in other parts of the county.[8]

School uniforms

In the 2005-2006 school year, DeSoto ISD began a mandatory school uniform policy at all of its schools.

In 2018, uniforms were discontinued district-wide.

See also

References
  1. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Dallas County, TX" (PDF). 2010 U.S. Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  2. "2009 Accountability Rating System". Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original on 2015-10-25.
  3. "DeSoto seeks star power in pick for schools superintendent". Dallas News. 2018-08-18. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  4. Booth, Herb. "Black elite faces school-choice dilemma." The Dallas Morning News. Monday June 27, 2005. Retrieved on November 26, 2011.
  5. "DeSoto Independent School District".
  6. "DeSoto ISD Improvement Plan (2018-19)" (PDF). 2018.
  7. Godwin, Dan (2021-08-17). "Richardson, DeSoto and Dallas ISDs keep mask mandates in place, at least for now". KDFW. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  8. Nicholson, Eric (2016-05-03). "In Dallas, White Flight Never Ends". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2019-10-29.

32.58662°N 96.86750°W / 32.58662; -96.86750

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