Two district elementaries climb to the top of the ratings
When school ratings were announced last week, Dallas ISD learned it had doubled its number of A-rated campuses from 30 in the 2023-2024 school year to 60. And among those A-rated campuses were Umphrey Lee and Whitney M. Young Jr. elementary schools, both of which had previously been among F-rated campuses.
“I expected it, but didn’t know we would get it,” said Yolanda Knight, Lee Elementary School principal. “I wasn’t anticipating being an A. Maybe a B. But our expectation is always to be at the top. We didn’t know we would get there as fast, but we knew we would get there.”
Young Elementary School Principal Shabranda Mathis learned in late July that her school was facing an estimated F rating. Determined to change the trajectory, she met with her team in August 2024 to tighten the campus instructional systems, build on their progress, and ensure the campus earned no less than a B, she said.
“I have an amazing team,” she said of the teachers, instructional leaders, and dedicated team members who made the difference, as well as the students. “I am a product of Dallas ISD of 75216, the very zip code I serve. The very community I come from. The faith in my campus and my community never wavered.”
Going from an F to an A rating in a year can be seen as almost a miraculous achievement, even more so for schools that are almost 80% economically disadvantaged and almost 95% Hispanic and Black. But for Mathis and other principals who saw similar gains, the success came from faith in their teams, students, parents, and above all, hard work.
“I give all the credit to my teachers and their hard work, to student buy-in, the administrative staff, and demonstration teachers,” Knight said. “I think we did a lot more with intentionality on our part with our planning, our scheduling, interventions and collaboration and with motivating students. We focused on our kids. We made sure they understood what we were all doing.”
Lee Elementary School is divided into four houses, which encourages collaboration and competition that the teachers and administrators used to motivate students. Eventually, Knight said, students took ownership of their learning and their achievement knowing and caring where they were and where they needed to be.
For Young Elementary School, the road to an A rating began with a simple phrase: “This is our winning season,” Mathis said. Building on the foundation laid the previous year, her team tightened key systems, such as progress monitoring, and focused on analyzing data that provided critical learning indicators to drive instruction.
“People outside of education don’t always realize the magnitude of this—the level of work and commitment it truly takes,” she said. “Everyone came in believing this was our winning season, that we had what it took, that a B was within reach. Then we got to work.”
By the look of the ratings released by the TEA, almost all of Dallas ISD got to work last school year. Districtwide, Dallas ISD has 228 schools and of those campuses, 163, more than 70%, earned an A or B, and nearly 93% are A, B, or C rated.
“These results reflect the unwavering commitment of our educators, students, and families. None of this happens without them,” said Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde. “While there is still work to be done, these results are a clear sign that we are moving in the right direction, and we will not stop until every school is achieving at a high level. It’s what our kids deserve, and it’s the legacy we are committed to build for every student.
Additionally, students in all grade levels and tested subjects not only met but often exceeded state performance levels. These gains are especially significant among student groups who have historically faced the greatest challenges.
In 80% of the tested categories, Dallas ISD showed larger increases than the state and Black, emergent bilingual, and economically disadvantaged students outperformed their state peers in the “all subjects and grades” category.
Both principals agree that outperforming expectations was certainly what took place at Lee and Young elementary schools. And that when high expectations and belief in the team and students is paired with hard work, all schools can beat the odds.
“I want people to understand that I truly get the community I serve,” Mathis said. “We celebrate our kids for who they are. I have a phenomenal team—the best I’ve had the honor of serving with in my entire career as an educator. I’ve never seen a group that feels so much like family while also holding each other accountable the way this team does.”
