Summary:
The city of Desoto, Texas, is home to 13 schools serving grades PK through 12, primarily within the Desoto Independent School District (Isd), which ranks in the 26th percentile statewide, alongside several charter and alternative schools.
The standout school for academic excellence is Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy, which ranks in the 82nd percentile and boasts test scores far above district and state averages, with a relatively low free/reduced lunch rate of 45.9%. In contrast, The Meadows Elementary faces the most significant challenges, ranking in the 1st percentile with critically low proficiency rates, such as only 8.96% of 3rd graders meeting math standards. Among high schools, Iltexas Lancaster Desoto High School stands out with a perfect 100% graduation rate despite an 83.25% poverty rate, while Desoto High School has an 86.1% graduation rate. Golden Rule Desoto serves the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students at 91.29% and has the lowest student-teacher ratio (11.8:1) among larger schools, yet it ranks in the 14th percentile.
Key metrics show an average free/reduced lunch rate of 66.4% across schools, indicating high economic need. Per-student spending varies widely, from $8,985 at Katherine Johnson to an anomalous $418,594 at the Desoto Alternative Education Center (Daep), which serves only 19 students. The average student-teacher ratio is 16.1:1, with Desoto West Middle having the highest at 21.4:1. The data reveals that while poverty often correlates with lower performance, schools like Iltexas Lancaster Desoto and Katherine Johnson show that focused programs and leadership can mitigate this, and charter school outcomes are mixed, with Premier H S - Desoto having the highest dropout rate at 6.4%.
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