Esperanza Medrano Elementary

Esperanza Medrano Elementary is a PK-5 school in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, TX, serving 349 students as part of the Dallas Independent School District (Isd).

Esperanza Medrano Elementary is currently in a state of crisis, with its academic performance dropping dramatically in recent years. The school now ranks in the bottom 5% of all Texas elementary schools, a steep fall from its 41st percentile ranking just a few years ago. Test scores are far below both district and state averages—for example, only about 18% of 3rd graders are proficient in math, compared to 42% across the district and 44% statewide. This decline is especially concerning because the school was once a strong performer for its most vulnerable students, ranking in the 80th percentile for "At Risk" students in 2018-2019. That success has since been lost. Notably, the school spends more per student ($14,412) than many higher-performing nearby schools, suggesting the issue is not a lack of funding but how resources are being used to meet the intense needs of its student body, where over 96% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

In stark contrast, Personalized Learning Preparatory At Sam Houston, located less than a mile away, has improved to the 45th percentile over the same period, serving a student population with a much lower poverty rate. Meanwhile, Biomedical Preparatory At Ut Southwestern, a magnet school nearby, ranks in the 96th percentile with proficiency rates of 75-80% in core subjects. These comparisons highlight how dramatically school performance can vary within the same neighborhood. For parents considering Esperanza Medrano, the key takeaway is that the school has experienced a rapid and severe academic decline, and while it once showed the ability to support its students effectively, that capacity has been lost in recent years.