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Edwin J Kiest Elementary

Q: Is Edwin J Kiest Elementary a good school?

Edwin J Kiest Elementary ranks 2541 st of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

2541^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 45% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Edwin J Kiest Elementary is a PK-5 public school in Dallas, TX, serving 535 students within the Dallas Independent School District (Isd), where over 96% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has made a remarkable turnaround, climbing from the 13th percentile in state rankings in the 2023-2024 school year to the 45th percentile in 2025-2026, a dramatic improvement that sets it apart from nearby schools like S S Conner Elementary, which has remained stagnant in the bottom quarter of schools.

Kiest Elementary’s standout strength is its exceptional support for Special Education students, ranking in the 85th percentile (4 stars) in 2024-2025 and the 88th percentile (4 stars) in 2023-2024—far exceeding performance for any other subgroup. The school also shows a unique strength in 6th-grade reading, with 63.3% proficiency in 2025-2026, significantly higher than the district (51.5%) and state (53.5%) averages. However, performance varies widely by grade in math: 4th graders achieved 66.2% proficiency, outperforming the district and state, while 3rd graders scored only 25% proficiency, well below the state average of 44.3%. Science remains a persistent challenge, with only 8.16% of 5th graders proficient in 2024-2025, the lowest among nearby Dallas ISD peers like George W Truett Elementary (37.5%) and Reinhardt Elementary (25%).

Interestingly, the school’s Spanish STAAR testing program effectively serves English Language Learners, with scores often exceeding state averages for Spanish test-takers. Yet, there is a paradox: while Kiest excels with Special Education students, its Gifted and Talented program ranks in the 3rd percentile (0 stars) in 2024-2025, suggesting a need for more enrichment for high-achieving students. Compared to Motley Elementary in Mesquite Independent School District (Isd)—a high-performing school (80th percentile) serving a similarly high-poverty population—Kiest’s 5th-grade math proficiency (36.5%) is less than half of Motley’s (81.5%), but Kiest’s recent upward trend suggests it is beginning to close this gap.

535

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,131

Per pupil spending ?

96.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2611 Healey Dr
Dallas, TX 75228-3545

(972) 502-5600

District: Dallas Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Edwin J Kiest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	W H Gaston Middle
High:	Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

90.1%

African American:

6.5%

White:

2.4%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Edwin J Kiest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 29th percentile in 2016 → 45th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (42% vs 49% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg47%

Texas avg49%

2,541^st of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to bottom 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

74^th of 149Elementary Schools in the Dallas Independent School District (Isd)

441^st 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	2541 of 4627	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.1	3113 of 4651	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.2	4112 of 4710	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.2	2966 of 4647	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.3	3459 of 4581	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.8	2518 of 4578	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.0	2052 of 4479	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.0	3128 of 4359	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	31.0	3087 of 4329	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.2	3057 of 4286	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.4	3276 of 4320	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	39.5	2937 of 4260	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.0	2540 of 4221	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	34.4	3194 of 4206	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.3	3729 of 4095	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	26.2	3416 of 3937	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.5	2955 of 3884	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	30.9	3079 of 3768	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.2	2942 of 3724	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.9	2849 of 3476	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	32.6	2764 of 3475	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	27.6	2951 of 3465	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	1196 of 1905	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.6	1752 of 2443	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	2123 of 2443	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	2308 of 2421	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	65.3	630 of 2515	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	45.7	1278 of 2483	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	49.6	2122 of 4461	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.3	1150 of 4331	73.4%	★★★★☆
2019	75.7	573 of 4295	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	52.6	1781 of 4240	58.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	1756 of 2918	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.8	3213 of 3668	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.9	1678 of 3556	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.2	1997 of 3487	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.8	1233 of 3446	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.6	736 of 3333	77.9%	★★★★☆
2018	48.8	1563 of 3226	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	41.9	2633 of 4575	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.1	3092 of 3744	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	4445 of 4658	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	35.0	3112 of 4588	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.6	3062 of 4561	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.7	2755 of 4499	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.1	2115 of 4348	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.4	3407 of 4306	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	24.1	2818 of 3075	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.4	2553 of 2619	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	2838 of 2980	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	2742 of 2958	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	2683 of 3006	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.8	2072 of 3184	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.7	2792 of 3106	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	49.4	2116 of 4413	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.4	2271 of 3644	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.0	3726 of 4465	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.4	2308 of 4401	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.1	2956 of 4376	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.2	1924 of 4329	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.1	1606 of 4188	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.9	2714 of 4168	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	54.1	1834 of 4520	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.5	1982 of 3705	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.2	3697 of 4594	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.9	2251 of 4521	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.3	3067 of 4477	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.3	1861 of 4451	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.1	1165 of 4309	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	39.6	2727 of 4264	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	2420 of 4582	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.8	1926 of 3739	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	3297 of 4647	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.9	2828 of 4585	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.2	3687 of 4563	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.7	2284 of 4498	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.7	1968 of 4357	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.9	2847 of 4319	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.6	2431 of 4301	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	74.1	533 of 3549	85.0%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	509 of 4292	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	36.1	2626 of 4086	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.7	1857 of 3952	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.7	2992 of 3799	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	81.1	282 of 3684	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	60.0	924 of 3558	74.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile+14 vs school

At Risk (2022)52nd percentile+28 vs school

Hispanic (2026)52nd percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)47th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)42nd percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)40th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2025)37th percentile+4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)8th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading47%-8 vs state

Mathematics42%-3 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Wednesday, December 14, 2011

They have a bad habit of waiting till the last minute to notify parents of things. They only give a week notice for things such as a Science project/fair. They have run out of food in the cafeteria on numerous occasions for proper nourishment for what is acceptable. It took them till 2011 to get a proper pick up drop off system in place and while they started with parking lot monitors, they have since stopped this practice.

I feel bad for the teachers as they are pretty good here, but the rest of the school itself is lackluster at best. The performance hall needs an upgrade and the sound system in there is horrible. I don't agree with force-feeding the children Spanish when it is only an elective in High Schools. How do you think other cultures such as Korean, Japanese, Chinese, African, French or any other dialect feel when they don't get a report card or anything else in their language. That in itself is discrimination.

There are never any cops watching the school zones and the people in the area seem to totally disregard the speed limit all together at all 4 corners of the school itself.
It is a wonder no one has been run over when people are doing 45mph in a 20mph zone.
I'm sure I am missing a few things, but I am sure this is enough to deter any interested school-goers. Close Quote

Schools Near Edwin J Kiest Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR Spanish Reading (2026)			STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Reading (2026)						STAAR Mathematics (2026)						STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Edwin J Kiest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2611 Healey Dr	Dallas	75228	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 502-5600	535	37	14.3	96.3%	13 (2.4%)	35 (6.5%)	482 (90.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	42.6	2541^st of 4627 public elementary schools	45.1%		35.1	3113^th of 4651 public elementary schools	33.1%	572	31.6	34.6	35.7		14.3		19.5	48.1	46.9	63.3			25.0	66.2	36.5	35.0				$11,131
Larry G Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5299 Gus Thomasson Rd	Mesquite	75150	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 502-4800	681	45	15.1	95.4%	30 (4.4%)	97 (14.2%)	540 (79.3%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.3%)	58.2	1693^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	63.4%		54.3	1891^st of 4651 public elementary schools	59.3%	198	56.4	51.3	57.7	14.3	16.7	55.6	41.9	40.0	66.2	62.2			39.1	46.8	61.0	48.8				$9,840
George W Truett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1811 Gross Rd	Dallas	75228	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 749-8000	987	60	16.4	98.9%	22 (2.2%)	296 (30.0%)	632 (64.0%)	16 (1.6%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	14 (1.4%)	37.3	2930^th of 4627 public elementary schools	36.7%		55.1	1837^th of 4651 public elementary schools	60.5%	1093	46.7	60.3	55.6		13.3	46.2	30.2	32.5	42.6				36.8	47.4	52.9					$11,181
Motley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3719 Moon Dr	Mesquite	75150	Dallas County	Mesquite Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 882-5080	244	22	11.1	90.6%	16 (6.6%)	14 (5.7%)	206 (84.4%)	5 (2.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	67.6	1239^th of 4627 public elementary schools	73.2%		74.9	932^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	80.0%	307	0.0	11.1					63.3	54.2	70.4				51.6	35.5	81.5					$14,253
Charles A Gill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10910 Ferguson Rd	Dallas	75228	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 749-8400	630	42	15.0	95.7%	22 (3.5%)	96 (15.2%)	460 (73.0%)	32 (5.1%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.4%)	41	2661^st of 4627 public elementary schools	42.5%		42.2	2623^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	43.6%	38	46.0	43.3	34.2				40.9	34.0	54.2	36.6			44.4	49.4	45.9	35.7				$9,843
Casa View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2100 N Farola Dr	Dallas	75228	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 749-7700	530	35	15.0	95.7%	14 (2.6%)	21 (4.0%)	480 (90.6%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	53.1	1958^th of 4627 public elementary schools	57.7%		41.7	2663^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	42.7%	705	20.7	48.7	75.0	0.0			67.9	74.3	48.8	49.3			40.8	56.2	38.6	39.1				$11,369
Lawrence Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3811 Richman Dr	Mesquite	75150	Dallas County	Mesquite Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 882-7000	284	23	12.6	89.4%	18 (6.3%)	28 (9.9%)	229 (80.6%)	5 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	34.5	3118^th of 4627 public elementary schools	32.6%		54.9	1849^th of 4651 public elementary schools	60.2%	1269	18.2			9.1			28.6	48.8	51.2				17.9	56.1	31.7					$13,144
Reinhardt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10122 Losa Dr	Dallas	75218	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 749-7900	431	34	12.8	93.0%	38 (8.8%)	26 (6.0%)	354 (82.1%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	59.4	1637^th of 4627 public elementary schools	64.6%		56.8	1733^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	62.7%	96	69.2	41.2	50.0				57.5	51.5	75.0	61.5			46.9	34.0	44.4	48.1				$12,422
Uplift Luna Prep Ps	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	9743 E Rl Thornton Fwy	Dallas	75228	Dallas County	Uplift Education	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(214) 442-7882	719	38	19.0	89.2%	19 (2.6%)	105 (14.6%)	576 (80.1%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.9%)	25.8	3701^st of 4627 public elementary schools	20.0%		23.2	3841^st of 4651 public elementary schools	17.4%	140							42.2	30.6	48.6				31.8	32.1	36.5					$12,447
Trinity Basin Preparatory - Mesquite	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	2901 E Meadows Blvd	Mesquite	75150	Dallas County	Trinity Basin Preparatory	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(214) 946-9100	800	45	17.9	75.6%	92 (11.5%)	146 (18.3%)	516 (64.5%)	10 (1.3%)	18 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.3%)	19.4	4072^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	12.0%		33.1	3249^th of 4651 public elementary schools	30.1%	823							22.1	30.9	45.2	36.6	55.2	55.3	26.7	38.3	30.1	25.4	0.0	39.8	19.2	$9,509

Frequently Asked Questions about Edwin J Kiest Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Edwin J Kiest Elementary?

Students at Edwin J Kiest Elementary are 90% Hispanic, 7% African American, 2% White.

What district is Edwin J Kiest Elementary in?

Dallas Independent School District (Isd)

Is Edwin J Kiest Elementary a good school?

Edwin J Kiest Elementary ranks 2541^st of 4627 Texas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Edwin J Kiest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Edwin J Kiest Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : W H Gaston Middle
High : Bryan Adams H S Leadership Academy

How many students attend Edwin J Kiest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended Edwin J Kiest Elementary.

Rate Edwin J Kiest Elementary!

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Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

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.