Summary:
The 75116 zip code in Duncanville, Texas, is home to eight schools serving elementary through high school grades, primarily within the Duncanville Independent School District (Isd), which ranks in the 9th percentile statewide, alongside the higher-performing charter network Ume Preparatory Academy.
The standout school in the area is Ume Preparatory Academy - Duncanville, a charter elementary that consistently achieves proficiency rates at or above state averages in Reading and Math while spending significantly less per student ($7,423) than district schools. In contrast, Mary E Smithey Pace High School is the lowest-performing school in the zip code, ranking in the bottom 1% of Texas high schools with a 52.2% graduation rate and near-zero test scores, despite having the highest per-student spending ($16,341). A bright spot in the district is J Herman Reed Middle, where 79.31% of students were proficient in Algebra I—far exceeding the state average of 54.03%—likely due to advanced students taking the exam early. The district's main high school, Duncanville High School, posts a solid 92.3% graduation rate despite serving a population with a 70% free/reduced lunch rate.
Key takeaways for parents include a clear inverse relationship between spending and performance, with Ume Preparatory Academy - Duncanville demonstrating that lower spending and higher student-teacher ratios (18.3:1) can still yield strong results. The Duncanville ISD elementary schools like William Lee Hastings Elementary and Fairmeadows Elementary show some grades performing near district averages, but a notable "middle school dip" occurs at Glenn C Hardin Intermediate and J Herman Reed Middle, where core subject proficiency often falls into the 20-30% range. Overall, the charter option offers the best academic outcomes, while the district schools face significant challenges tied to high economic disadvantage, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 77.3% across its six schools.
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