{"id":56,"date":"2026-05-07T05:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T05:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dallasrelocationhubs.com\/?p=56"},"modified":"2026-05-07T05:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T05:02:11","slug":"dallas-isd-is-already-a-premier-district-superintendent-stephanie-elizalde-says-now-lets-do-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dallasrelocationhubs.com\/?p=56","title":{"rendered":"Dallas ISD is already a \u2018premier\u2019 district, Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde says. Now let\u2019s do more"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Standing in front of a room full of educators, district staff and community members, Dallas ISD Superintendent\u00a0<\/span>Stephanie Elizalde<\/span><\/span>\u00a0said Tuesday that the district needs a new vision\u00a0\u2014 one\u00a0that sets a higher bar\u00a0for\u00a0what\u00a0the district is striving for.<\/span><\/p>

Read more Frisco business owners prepare for influx of international visitors during World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Dallas ISD\u2019s visi<\/span>on statement<\/span><\/span>\u00a0says the district \u201cseeks\u00a0to be a premier urban school district.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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There\u2019s\u00a0nothing wrong with that\u00a0statement,\u00a0Elizalde\u00a0said\u00a0in\u00a0her annual State of the District address. But\u00a0Dallas ISD\u00a0is no longer\u00a0seeking\u00a0to become a premier urban school district. It is one.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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The district\u00a0has\u00a0<\/span>brought the number of F-rated campuses down<\/span><\/span>\u00a0from 24 to 2,\u00a0she said,\u00a0has a higher teacher retention rate than\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0ever had and just\u00a0<\/span>passed the largest bond issue in state\u00a0<\/span>history<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Related:<\/strong><\/span>Dallas ISD voters approved historic\u00a0<\/span>$6.2 billion<\/span>\u00a0bond issue. When will construction begin?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Speaking from the stage at the Winspear Opera House, Elizalde said that means the district needs to set its sights higher.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Last year, 91% of the district\u2019s\u00a0graduates completed high school ready for college, a\u00a0career\u00a0or the military, putting the district nine points ahead of the\u00a0state\u00a0average.\u00a0About a third of the\u00a0district\u2019s\u00a0graduates earn college credit before they finish high school, and\u00a0students have\u00a0earned\u00a0tens of thousands of\u00a0industry\u00a0certifications\u00a0over the past five years, Elizalde said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Although those achievements are worth celebrating, Elizalde said\u00a0Dallas ISD\u00a0can go further.\u00a0Elizalde vowed to ensure that all the district\u2019s students will\u00a0not only\u00a0graduate\u00a0high school\u00a0ready to start college,\u00a0embark on\u00a0a\u00a0career or the\u00a0join the\u00a0military, but\u00a0actually take\u00a0one of those steps, she said.\u00a0A few\u00a0campuses have been able\u00a0to\u00a0meet that threshold, she said, but no\u00a0entire school system\u00a0has done so.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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\u201cI think competing against every other urban school district is a low bar,\u201d she said. \u201cWe will compete against ourselves, because we can set that bar high.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Elizalde thanked Dallas ISD voters for their support at the polls last weekend. On Saturday, voters passed the district\u2019s $6.2 billion bond proposal by a wide margin. None of the four propositions included in the bond package garnered less than 70% of the vote. District leaders plan to use bond money to build 26 new schools to replace 28 aging buildings, upgrade the district\u2019s technology infrastructure and add enough classroom space to allow every school to remove their portable classroom units, among other projects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Read more Security tops Dallas World Cup costs, with city seeking federal funds to offset expenses<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Apart from the bond issue,\u00a0Elizalde highlighted other achievements from the past year.\u00a0In January, district leaders announced a new partnership that will allow more than\u00a048,000 students\u00a0in\u00a0select grades to go on field trips, free of charge. In March, the\u00a0Dallas\u00a0ISD Board\u00a0of Trustees\u00a0<\/span>adopted a universal<\/span>\u00a0tuition-<\/span>free pre-K program<\/span><\/span>\u00a0for all\u00a03- and\u00a04-year-olds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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The district is also launching a pre-primer program designed for students who need a bridge between kindergarten and first grade, she said. The program will include\u00a0an intensive focus on early literacy, conceptual\u00a0math\u00a0and social development, she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Related:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Dallas ISD looks to offer universal free pre-K. Research shows it could be a game-changer<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Although the district can point to many accomplishments over the past decade, Elizalde said\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0critical that leaders and supporters treat the district as a work in progress, not as a completed mission.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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