Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 75241

This analysis examines five elementary schools in the 75241 zip code of Dallas, Texas, serving grades PK through 5th, where all schools face extremely high levels of economic disadvantage, with over 93% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

The standout school in this area is Thomas L Marsalis Elementary Steam Academy, which consistently earns a 3-star rating and ranks in the 64th percentile, outperforming both the Dallas Independent School District (Isd) and state averages in 3rd and 5th-grade Reading and 3rd-grade Math. In contrast, Gateway Charter Academy is the most challenged school, ranking in the 0th percentile with critically low test scores, a high student-teacher ratio of 29.7:1, and the lowest per-student spending at $7,650. Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary shows a unique strength in its bilingual program, with Spanish-language STAAR scores often more than double the state average, and it is the only school in the area to exceed the state average in 5th-grade Math. J N Ervin Elementary and Otto M Fridia Elementary rank in the 14th and 22nd percentiles respectively, with Fridia having the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.2:1) and highest per-student spending ($15,019) but not translating that into top performance.

Key metrics reveal that Math proficiency is a universal weakness across all five schools, with only Wilmer-Hutchins exceeding the state average in any grade. The average 5th-grade Reading proficiency (45.18%) and Math proficiency (36.09%) both fall well below state averages. While spending varies dramatically—from $7,650 at Gateway to $15,019 at Fridia—the top-performing Marsalis spends a moderate $13,168, suggesting that extreme underfunding is a clear hurdle but high spending alone does not guarantee success. The Dallas Independent School District (Isd) schools show a wide range of performance, indicating that school-level leadership and specialized programs like Marsalis's STEAM focus can have a significant impact despite the challenging economic context.