Can anyone recommend a public school in Dallas for slightly advanced kids?

[JRJS]

My family is thinking of moving to Dallas this summer (or end of the year). We've been searching for a school that would be a good fit for our kids but haven't quite found the right one so I'm wondering if there's anyone out there that might be able to steer us in the right direction.

 

A little bit about my kids... They are currently in Kindergarten and 2nd grade. My kindergarten is an all around A student, he has skipped math grades and currently goes to 2nd grade math at school. He is also advanced in reading, and is currently at end of 2nd grade level right now. My 2nd grader, is generally an average/above average student, but does exceptionally well in math. When he was in Kindergarten, he was lucky to have had a teacher discover his abilities in math. She differentiated her lessons for him and taught him 1st grade math in the classroom and recommended him for 2nd grade math the next year. Since then, we have switched schools and since his new school follows an advanced curriculum, he is able to take 3rd grade math. At home, he is close to finishing up 5th grade math.

 

We're lucky to have found teachers and schools that try to accommodate kids and their levels in math and reading. However, now that I've been searching for new schools, I've found that it's pretty difficult to find a school that would make similar accommodations and differentiate their lessons either within the classroom or by accelerating kids by subject. I don't expect the school to keep up with my kids at all times given that they do more work at home. However, I'm hoping to at least find a school where they wouldn't have to repeat what they've already officially done in school, esp in math. I know, for sure, my 5 year old would probably not do well sitting in a classroom if he had to repeat 1st or 2nd grade math (as it is, he is bored in his 2nd grade math class and the teacher has had to give him extra work to make sure he is occupied). My 2nd grader is well behaved and will probably tolerate it but I would really be sad for both of them if they aren't a bit challenged in their classes.

 

We're open to sending them to private schools but given that the schools are very selective and 1st and 3rd grades aren't entry points, we want a good solid public school backup.

 

I know my question is very specific and not sure if this is even the right place for it but thought I'd give this forum a try anyway. I am contemplating homeschooling the kids but not sure I have the stamina and patience to get through it so a public school as backup would still be nice to have.

 

Thanks in advance!

[AggieMama]

Having lived in DFW most of my life and taught in the area for 9 years there are lots of pros and cons about many of the districts. Garland, Irving, Richardson, Carrollton Farmers Branch, and Dallas have GT programs that cater better to a student like yours, but they don't have the best reputations overall. Southlake Carroll, Grapevine, and Coppell have good general reputations, but may not be large enough to accommodate your children. Plano, Frisco, McKinnney, and Lewisville have good reputations, but those reputations may not be deserved for various reasons.

You might be better off looking for a private school like St. Mark's, Hockaday, Greenhill, or Jesuit. There are also some cottage schools and university model scoops like Corem Deo and Lucas Christian Academy.

If you want a truly individualized curriculum that caters to your child your best bet would be to homeschool. There are a ton of homeschool groups and activities to fill any gaps you think you may have teaching.

[JacobJoshmom]

Having lived in DFW most of my life and taught in the area for 9 years there are lots of pros and cons about many of the districts. Garland, Irving, Richardson, Carrollton Farmers Branch, and Dallas have GT programs that cater better to a student like yours, but they don't have the best reputations overall. Southlake Carroll, Grapevine, and Coppell have good general reputations, but may not be large enough to accommodate your children. Plano, Frisco, McKinnney, and Lewisville have good reputations, but those reputations may not be deserved for various reasons.

You might be better off looking for a private school like St. Mark's, Hockaday, Greenhill, or Jesuit. There are also some cottage schools and university model scoops like Corem Deo and Lucas Christian Academy.

If you want a truly individualized curriculum that caters to your child your best bet would be to homeschool. There are a ton of homeschool groups and activities to fill any gaps you think you may have teaching.

 

 

Edited May 16, 2016 by JacobJoshmom

[JRJS]

Having lived in DFW most of my life and taught in the area for 9 years there are lots of pros and cons about many of the districts. Garland, Irving, Richardson, Carrollton Farmers Branch, and Dallas have GT programs that cater better to a student like yours, but they don't have the best reputations overall. Southlake Carroll, Grapevine, and Coppell have good general reputations, but may not be large enough to accommodate your children. Plano, Frisco, McKinnney, and Lewisville have good reputations, but those reputations may not be deserved for various reasons.

You might be better off looking for a private school like St. Mark's, Hockaday, Greenhill, or Jesuit. There are also some cottage schools and university model scoops like Corem Deo and Lucas Christian Academy.

If you want a truly individualized curriculum that caters to your child your best bet would be to homeschool. There are a ton of homeschool groups and activities to fill any gaps you think you may have teaching.

 

Wow thanks for the info, AggieMama! I have never heard of Corem Deo or Lucas Christian, they seem like interesting options. I didn't even realize there were these types of schools. I don't think we have them here where we live. I already spent some time checking out their websites and will definitely continue to look at these schools more closely. I think my only concern is that is seems very heavy on religion -- we're Catholics and don't mind going to a Christian school but I'm worried that we might not fit in. 

 

Will also check out the GTs you mentioned. I've only looked at Garland and Dallas ISD before. Are there any general reasons why you think the GTs don't have good reputations?

 

I've looked at some websites of the public schools you mentioned but it's difficult to determine how different they are from one another. In my research, however, the Plano, Garland and Highland Park schools seem to set themselves apart, either because they're ranked or have been getting rave reviews online. Just curious, why did you leave off Highland Park from your list? Do you think it's not worthy of its reputation? Out of all the public schools, is there one that stands out for you, if strong academics is the only factor to consider? 

 

I'm thinking we'll try out for the GTs (maybe next year since we're probably too late to apply this year) so we'll homeschool for a year or so. If we don't get into the GTs we may continue to homeschool (or look into privates).  In case none of that works out, I'd like to make sure we live in a district with a great public school system in place. 

[AggieMama]

I forgot about Highland Park. Great school district no gifted program. They go off the basis that all children are gifted. Plano teaches directly to the test. They only accept the top 1-2% into their enrichment program. They use to have a good reputation, but it has declined greatly in the 10 years and public attention has not caught up.

[RenaInTexas]

Where are you coming from? Texas is not  a common core state, so there may be a difference when comparing curriculum.

 

Also in Texas, we have high stakes academic testing starting in 3rd grade. So do NOT judge any of the schools by their test scores. Some of the highest rated schools (because of their test scores) teach the test. My kids went to one for 12 weeks before I got a good handle on what was going on (6 visits). The school looks great on the outside, good test scores and ratings, great activities and programs. But they started drilling the test from the 2nd week of school. IE: the kids are being taught test taking strategies (how to choose the best summary from 4 choices rather than how to write your own summary or what a good summary is comprised of). We RAN from there. They get good test scores, but the students aren't learning real world skills. I will not call out the school because this problem is widespread throughout the US. I've taught College Algebra and I saw the same test taking strategies being utilized on my tests by my private and public school graduates alike. I told them that they need to learn algebra bc test taking techniques would not get them passed calculus. Sorry I am way off topic.

 

With that being said, I can name a few for you or anyone else interested. 

Walnut Hill Elementary - has dual language program, teachers are not allowed to teach test taking strategies and don't teach from test preparation books, they teach problem solving strategies, a large number of 5th graders are accepted in Dallas magnet schools. Has 4 former teacher's of the year and has won several national awards including a blue ribbon.

 

Lakewood Elementary - has IB program and great community support, unsure on teaching strategies, visit it and see what kind of student work is on the walls (look for variety) and ask about how they prep for the STAAR exam and how they teach specific subjects. If they show you multiple choice test prep books; run.  A former blue ribbon school I believe.

 

Hexter Elementary - has a great reputation, but that is all I can say. Worth checking out.

 

Other's worth checking out based on reputation and not my own experience: Sanger (making strides recently), Kramer, DeGolyer, Withers. Preston Hollow Elementary is another one with the IB program, but I know nothing else.

 

Dallas has some very good elementary schools. It is middle and high where things start to falter. In part, this is because, so many of Dallas' best students go into the magnet schools starting in middle school; making it harder for Dallas' non-magnets to compete with other school districts that don't have the magnet schools. The magnet schools are among the best schools in DFW and even the nation. Top students that don't get a magnet seat leave for the suburbs, transfer to a private or charter school, or they stay, but their performance is overshadowed by (averaged in with) the not-so-top students.

 

The DISD TAG program is the same no matter what school you go to because they have standardized it across the district. They test at the end of Sept and Jan. Once your student is in TAG, they are in it through 12th grade. It is a weekly/bi-weekly pull out program. The curriculum is research. Meaning, the students get a topic that they have to research and produce a report/paper, class presentation, and a model. For example, a 3rd graders project was to create a utopian society. Can you imagine how much research that took: utopian societies, city planning, etc...? The TAG teacher guides them in their research, tosses around ideas with them, sets the expectations. These are to be independent research projects that take a lot of time and effort; there are 2-3 per year. Basically, the students get out of it what they put into it.

 

Some of the schools use group learning; where kids are grouped according to ability. This allows for differentiation within the classroom. How much differentiation is given would depend on the school and probably even the teacher. I afterschool to achieve my desired level of rigor; which works great with a public school because the homework load is much less than privates.

 

Hope I helped.

Edited May 16, 2016 by RenaInTexas