Bridgeway Preparatory Academy

Bridgeway Preparatory Academy in Dallas, TX (75287) is a small, private-like charter elementary school serving just 108 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade, operating as its own single-school district, Bridgeway Preparatory Academy.

This school is facing a severe academic crisis, consistently ranking in the bottom 1-12% of all Texas elementary schools and earning a 0-star rating in four of the last six years. Test scores are dramatically lower than state averages and nearby schools. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 0% of 4th and 5th graders were proficient in math, compared to the state average of about 46%. In reading, only 14% of 4th graders and 20% of 5th graders were proficient, roughly one-third of the state average. Science scores were equally troubling, with 0% of 5th graders proficient versus the state average of nearly 30%. Even the closest neighbor, McWhorter Elementary, which serves a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students, outperforms Bridgeway in nearly every subject. For instance, 37% of McWhorter's 3rd graders were proficient in reading compared to just 23% at Bridgeway.

The school's small size, which could be an asset, is currently a liability. Despite having only 108 students, the student-teacher ratio is 18:1, higher than most nearby schools that average between 13.5:1 and 16.2:1. Additionally, spending per student has dropped dramatically from $24,914 in 2018-2019 to $10,800 in 2020-2021, a major red flag that may indicate budget cuts impacting instructional quality. Operating as a "district of one" means the school has no access to the resources, professional development, or curriculum specialists that schools in larger districts like Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (Isd) or Plano Independent School District (Isd) enjoy. While there was a glimmer of hope in the 2022-2023 school year when the school achieved its highest ranking in recent history (12th percentile), the subsequent decline back to the bottom 0-4th percentile suggests a systemic failure to build on that success. Without a dramatic intervention, the outlook for Bridgeway Preparatory Academy remains very poor.