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John W Carpenter Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
2497th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools
Better than 46% of Texas elementary schools
Summary

John W Carpenter Elementary is a small PK-5 school in the Dallas Independent School District (Isd), serving 208 students in a high-poverty area where over 97% qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has experienced dramatic performance swings in recent years, peaking in the 68th percentile statewide in 2022-2023 before dropping to the 27th percentile in 2024-2025, then recovering to the 46th percentile in 2025-2026. This volatility sets it apart from nearby schools like Jimmie Tyler Brashear Elementary and Clinton P Russell Elementary, which show steadier improvement, and Adelle Turner Elementary, which consistently struggles.

A standout strength is Carpenter’s exceptional support for Hispanic and English Language Learner (ELL) students. In 2025-2026, Hispanic students ranked in the 65th percentile statewide, far above the school’s overall rank, and ELL students scored in the 57th percentile in 2024-2025. The bilingual program shines in upper elementary reading, with 4th and 5th graders taking the Spanish STAAR Reading test achieving 60% and 57.14% proficiency—well above state and district averages. However, the school struggles to challenge its Gifted and Talented (GT) students, who ranked in the 17th percentile in 2025-2026. This gap is notable compared to Mark Twain School For The Talented And Gifted, a magnet school just 1.35 miles away that consistently ranks in the top 25% of Texas elementary schools, likely drawing motivated students away from Carpenter.

The school spends a significant $16,040 per student (2020-2021), higher than nearby Jimmie Tyler Brashear Elementary ($11,285) and Maria Moreno Steam Academy ($14,106), yet this hasn’t consistently boosted performance. The 2022-2023 peak—with 88% proficiency in 3rd Grade Reading and 73% in Math—suggests effective strategies that weren’t sustained. For parents, Carpenter offers a strong bilingual program and targeted support for Hispanic and ELL students, but its overall instability and challenges with high-achieving students are key considerations.

208
Students ?
13.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$18,375
Per pupil spending ?
97.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 2121 Tosca Ln
       Dallas, TX  75224-4179

(972) 794-6000

District: Dallas Independent School District (Isd)


Students who attend John W Carpenter Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    T W Browne Middle
High:    Justin F Kimball High School
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
66.8%
African American:
26.4%
White:
4.3%
more
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 Compare John W Carpenter Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 68th percentile in 2023 → 46th in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Texas average (44% vs 50% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped from its 68th-percentile peak (2023) to 46th (2026)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school44%
District avg48%
Texas avg50%
2,497th of 4,627
Texas public elementary schools ?
Bottom 46%▲ up 36 pts since 2016
From bottom 10% (2016) to bottom 46% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
73rd of 149Elementary Schools in the Dallas Independent School District (Isd)
441st of 951Dallas Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202643.32497 of 462746.0%★★☆☆☆
202530.43403 of 465126.8%★☆☆☆☆
202436.53060 of 471035.0%★★☆☆☆
202362.31493 of 464767.9%★★★☆☆
202231.53287 of 458128.2%★☆☆☆☆
202142.02446 of 457846.6%★★☆☆☆
201913.74206 of 44796.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201817.23943 of 43599.5%☆☆☆☆☆
201715.53995 of 43297.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201617.53841 of 428610.4%★☆☆☆☆
20157.64185 of 43203.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201413.74019 of 42605.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201310.14082 of 42213.3%☆☆☆☆☆
201210.44088 of 42062.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201110.03976 of 40952.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201025.93426 of 393713.0%★☆☆☆☆
20098.83789 of 38842.4%☆☆☆☆☆
200822.53362 of 376810.8%★☆☆☆☆
20072.73706 of 37240.5%☆☆☆☆☆
200625.82988 of 347614.0%★☆☆☆☆
200527.92916 of 347516.1%★☆☆☆☆
200414.93286 of 34655.2%☆☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202651.01034 of 240657.0%★★★☆☆
202545.8997 of 190547.7%★★☆☆☆
202439.91505 of 244338.4%★★☆☆☆
202368.0541 of 244377.9%★★★★☆
202244.11303 of 242146.2%★★☆☆☆
202149.41070 of 244456.2%★★★☆☆
201927.12071 of 251517.7%★☆☆☆☆
201835.51685 of 248332.1%★★☆☆☆

At Risk

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202243.32567 of 446142.5%★★☆☆☆
201935.13035 of 429529.3%★☆☆☆☆
201839.42699 of 424036.3%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202551.71250 of 291857.2%★★★☆☆
202446.41849 of 366849.6%★★☆☆☆
202362.71017 of 355671.4%★★★★☆
202230.72722 of 348721.9%★☆☆☆☆
201944.41869 of 333343.9%★★☆☆☆
201851.01440 of 322655.4%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202640.92709 of 457540.8%★★☆☆☆
202535.52514 of 374432.9%★★☆☆☆
202431.13424 of 465826.5%★☆☆☆☆
202355.71819 of 458860.4%★★★☆☆
202229.83435 of 456124.7%★☆☆☆☆
202135.42841 of 449936.9%★★☆☆☆
201916.84016 of 43487.6%☆☆☆☆☆
201816.24009 of 43066.9%☆☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202634.72549 of 307517.1%★☆☆☆☆
202526.52287 of 261912.7%★☆☆☆☆
202331.42511 of 298015.7%★☆☆☆☆
202220.32692 of 29589.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201916.32996 of 31845.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201833.62520 of 310618.9%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202658.51563 of 441364.6%★★★☆☆
202562.31121 of 364469.2%★★★☆☆
202445.12444 of 446545.3%★★☆☆☆
202373.7775 of 440182.4%★★★★☆
202237.62912 of 437633.5%★★☆☆☆
202136.62789 of 432935.6%★★☆☆☆
201927.03463 of 418817.3%★☆☆☆☆
201826.53444 of 416817.4%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202654.11835 of 452059.4%★★★☆☆
202554.21517 of 370559.1%★★★☆☆
202441.22818 of 459438.7%★★☆☆☆
202369.4945 of 452179.1%★★★★☆
202240.22821 of 447737.0%★★☆☆☆
202150.32007 of 445154.9%★★★☆☆
201922.43872 of 430910.1%★☆☆☆☆
201826.33587 of 426415.9%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202640.52716 of 458240.7%★★☆☆☆
202545.71931 of 373948.4%★★☆☆☆
202429.93448 of 464725.8%★☆☆☆☆
202368.41192 of 458574.0%★★★★☆
202231.03335 of 456326.9%★☆☆☆☆
202144.92264 of 449849.7%★★☆☆☆
201913.84134 of 43575.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201821.23765 of 431912.8%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankTexas percentileRating
202538.72194 of 354938.2%★★☆☆☆
202411.54226 of 42921.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202253.81360 of 395265.6%★★★☆☆
201928.82922 of 368420.7%★☆☆☆☆
201847.01583 of 355855.5%★★★☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Hispanic (2026)65th percentile+19 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile+13 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)57th percentile+30 vs school
African American (2026)57th percentile+11 vs school
At Risk (2022)42nd percentile+14 vs school
Female (2026)41st percentile-5 vs school
Male (2026)41st percentile-5 vs school
Special Education (2025)38th percentile+11 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2026)17th percentile-29 vs school
By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?
Reading54%~ state avg
Mathematics38%-9 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about John W Carpenter Elementary

John W Carpenter Elementary ranks 2497th of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 208 students attended John W Carpenter Elementary.

Students at John W Carpenter Elementary are 67% Hispanic, 26% African American, 4% White, 1% Two or more races.

Students who attend John W Carpenter Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : T W Browne Middle
High : Justin F Kimball High School


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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