JOHN W CARPENTER EL

JOHN W CARPENTER EL is one of the low-enrollment elementary schools in DALLAS, Texas, part of DALLAS ISD, with 208 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 519 students per school, that is 60% smaller than typical.

DALLAS ISD comprises 240 schools with combined enrollment of 140,630 students; JOHN W CARPENTER EL is among them.

In terms of who attends, JOHN W CARPENTER EL reports that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 67% of enrollment. Other groups include 26% Black, 4% White. By comparison, Dallas County as a whole is about 41% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.4:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 15.1:1 average. An estimated 98% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is above Dallas County's rate of about 77%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, JOHN W CARPENTER EL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 31.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 31.7%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Dallas County) shows that median household income runs about $76,547, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across Dallas County's 771 public schools (combined enrollment of about 459,645 students), JOHN W CARPENTER EL is one campus in the mix.

DANIEL WEBSTER EL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), JOHN W CARPENTER EL ranks 7th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 36.9%.

Geographically, the school is in an urban area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 45%: 380 students in 2018 compared to 208 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 61% to 26% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 15.3:1 in 2018 to 13.4:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.