Summary:
In zip code 75203, there is one middle school, Hector P Garcia Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 in the Dallas Independent School District (Isd), a high-poverty area where 97.1% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Hector P Garcia Middle stands out as a school that appears to add significant academic value over time. While 6th graders enter performing below state averages in reading and math, by 8th grade they outperform both the district and state in these subjects. The school’s Algebra I performance is exceptional, with 75.14% of students proficient, far exceeding the district’s 59.35% and state’s 54.03%. However, performance is uneven: 8th-grade social studies proficiency is critically low at 14.04%, compared to 30.16% for the district. The school’s state ranking dropped slightly from the 50th percentile (3-star) in 2024-2025 to the 48th percentile (2-star) in 2025-2026, even as many test scores improved, indicating other schools are improving faster. A positive sign is the low dropout rate of 1.6%, half the district’s 3.2%.
Key metrics include a student-teacher ratio of 16.6:1 and spending of $11,730 per student. The school’s 8th-grade reading proficiency (60.34%) exceeds the state average (58.69%), and 8th-grade math (61.26%) dramatically surpasses the district (39.03%) and state (47.24%). This pattern suggests effective teaching in upper grades, particularly in math, while social studies may need more focus. For parents, this school offers a strong trajectory of growth, especially in math, but with notable weaknesses in social studies and a competitive state ranking that has slightly declined.
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