Pre-kindergarten classes for all 3- and 4- year-olds in Dallas ISD will be free starting next school year.
The district’s school board voted unanimously Thursday to approve a universal pre-K program, joining other North Texas districts, including Fort Worth and Arlington.
Up until now, free pre-K in Dallas ISD was only available on a qualifying basis. That included military households, low-income families, non-English learners, and children of Dallas ISD teachers.
Data shows pre-K benefits all students, said Debbie Ramos, the district’s assistant superintendent for enrollment and early learning.
“Those who attend pre-K are doing about 30 percentage points better than those who do not attend pre K,” Ramos told Dallas ISD trustees during a March 12 briefing. She added that by third grade, pre-K kids are already doing better in both reading and math.
In Dallas, where enrollment had fallen in some recent years, Ramos said 80-93% of Dallas ISD pre-K students stay in the district when they move into kindergarten classes.
“Amazing,” said trustee Ben Mackey. “That’s incredible.”
Dallas Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said 267 families currently pay tuition of between $2,500 a year for half-day and $5,000 a year for full-day classes.
She told trustees the district could offer free tuition for all because the district has open spaces and enough teachers without needing to hire more.
“We can actually fill those seats…without them having to pay tuition because the seats are already available,” she said at the briefing. “It's a more effective use of current resources.”
School-board member Dan Micciche welcomed the move. “I think it's a great idea,” he said. “The more students we can have in pre-K, the better, and certainly our results have shown that. I think it’s innovative and a good thing to do.”
The district will start accepting pre-K enrollees for next year beginning April 1.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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