Desoto ISD
Desoto, Texas · Dallas County · Grades Pre-K–12
Desoto ISD runs 11 schools (6 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high, 1 pre-k) with 5,708 students. By enrollment it is the 195th largest of 1210 districts in Texas, where the median district has 886 students. NCES classifies its area as suburb, large.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank compares the 1210 Texas districts listed on this site.
District at a glance
| Schools | 11 |
| Students | 5,708 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 305 |
| Students per teacher | 18.7 (state 14.9) |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 64.6% (state 61.6%) |
| County | Dallas County |
| Area type | Suburb, large |
| NCES district ID | 4816860 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, totals of the district's schools. Students per teacher = students ÷ full-time-equivalent teachers.
Schools in Desoto ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Terrace Early Childhood Learning Center | Pre-K | Pre-K | 402 | 21.2 | 87.3% |
| Cockrell Hill Elementary School | Elementary | K–2 | 397 | 15.9 | 65% |
| Curtistene S McCowan Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 643 | 22.7 | 78.5% |
| Desoto Alternative Education Center (Daep) | High | 6–12 | 19 | – | 47.4% |
| Desoto High School | High | 9–12 | 1,936 | 18.4 | 62.8% |
| Desoto West Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 370 | 21.4 | 59.7% |
| Frank D Moates Elementary School | Elementary | 3–5 | 468 | 15.6 | 59.8% |
| Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy | Elementary | K–8 | 536 | 18.8 | 45.9% |
| Ruby Young Talented and Gifted Academy | Elementary | K–8 | 263 | 19.9 | 58.6% |
| The Meadows Elementary School | Elementary | K–5 | 312 | 20.4 | 75.6% |
| Woodridge Elementary School | Elementary | K–4 | 362 | 15.7 | 58.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25.
Map of Desoto ISD schools
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Desoto ISD in context
Size
Desoto ISD enrolls 0.1% of Texas' 5,544,769 public school students and is larger than the median district (886 students). Its schools average 519 students, against 626 for a Texas public school. The largest is Desoto High School (1,936) and the smallest is Desoto Alternative Education Center (Daep) (19).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment. Share = district students ÷ all students in Texas schools listed here; averages = students ÷ schools.
Grades
Grade 9 is its largest grade, with 572 students this year. Grade 12 has 433 students and kindergarten has 318, 36% more in the later grade. Each grade is a different group of students, so this is not a dropout or growth rate. Desoto ISD enrolls 402 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade, all schools in the district.
Students
Black students are the largest group in Desoto ISD at 70.2%, above their 12.8% share of Texas public school students. Hispanic students make up 23.8%.
64.6% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 61.6% statewide. By school, the share runs from 45.9% at Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy to 87.3% at Amber Terrace Early Childhood Learning Center. All 11 of its schools serve free breakfast and lunch to every student under the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 or 3, with no application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District and state shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Staff
Its 305 full-time-equivalent teachers work out to 18.7 students per teacher, more than the state's 14.9. With 8.9 counselors it has 641 students per counselor; the median Texas district has 379, and the American School Counselor Association recommends no more than 250. It reports 1 librarians or media specialists.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 district staff file (full-time equivalents). Students per counselor = district students ÷ counselors. Benchmark: American School Counselor Association, 250 students per counselor.
Location
NCES classifies Desoto ISD's area as suburb, large: in an urbanized area of 250,000 people or more, outside its principal city. The nearest district is Faith Family Academy, 1.2 miles away with 3,036 students. 53 districts are within 25 miles, and 20 of them enroll more students than Desoto ISD. Dallas County has 41 districts on this site.
Source: NCES EDGE locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines between the average locations of each district's schools.
Staff
| Role | Full-time equivalent | Students per staff member |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers | 269 | 21 |
| School counselors | 8.9 | 641 |
| Librarians and media specialists | 1 | 5,708 |
| School psychologists | 0 | – |
| Instructional aides | 74 | 77 |
| Other student support staff | 19.1 | 299 |
| School administrators | 34.7 | 164 |
| District administrators | 32 | 178 |
| All staff | 644.5 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 district staff file. Students per staff member = district students ÷ full-time-equivalent staff in that role. The median Texas district has 379 students per counselor.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Black | 70.2% |
| Hispanic | 23.8% |
| Two or more races | 3.4% |
| White | 1.8% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Asian | 0.4% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0.1% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership, all schools in the district.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 402 |
| Kindergarten | 318 |
| Grade 1 | 324 |
| Grade 2 | 344 |
| Grade 3 | 327 |
| Grade 4 | 386 |
| Grade 5 | 345 |
| Grade 6 | 417 |
| Grade 7 | 420 |
| Grade 8 | 475 |
| Grade 9 | 572 |
| Grade 10 | 529 |
| Grade 11 | 416 |
| Grade 12 | 433 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Nearby school districts
| District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Calendar 2026–2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faith Family Academy | 1 mi | 3,036 | 19.9 | – |
| Life School | 3 mi | 5,735 | 18 | – |
| Village Technical Schools | 5 mi | 1,335 | 19.8 | – |
| Cedar Hill ISD | 5 mi | 6,253 | 15.9 | – |
| Lancaster ISD | 5 mi | 6,822 | 14.8 | – |
| Gateway Charter Academy | 5 mi | 511 | 19.8 | – |
| Duncanville ISD | 6 mi | 11,562 | 15.5 | – |
| Red Oak ISD | 6 mi | 6,696 | 16 | – |
Distance between the average locations of each district's schools (NCES EDGE).
Other school districts in Dallas County
- Dallas ISD (139,802 students)
- Garland ISD (51,021 students)
- Mesquite ISD (37,930 students)
- Richardson ISD (36,971 students)
- Irving ISD (30,767 students)
- Grand Prairie ISD (26,129 students)
- Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD (24,165 students)
- Uplift Education (23,384 students)
- Coppell ISD (13,233 students)
- Duncanville ISD (11,562 students)
- Harmony Public Schools - North Texas (11,042 students)
- Lancaster ISD (6,822 students)
- Highland Park ISD (6,350 students)
- Cedar Hill ISD (6,253 students)
- Life School (5,735 students)
- Texans Can Academies (3,479 students)
- Pioneer Technology & Arts Academy (2,328 students)
- Sunnyvale ISD (2,306 students)
- Universal Academy (2,036 students)
- Ume Preparatory Academy (1,703 students)
- A+ Academy (1,678 students)
- Village Technical Schools (1,335 students)
- Golden Rule Charter School (1,298 students)
- Cityscape Schools (1,259 students)
- Legacy Preparatory (1,138 students)
- Inspired Vision Academy (1,136 students)
- Winfree Academy Charter Schools (1,098 students)
- La Academia De Estrellas (1,024 students)
- Advantage Academy (972 students)
- Manara Academy (671 students)
All Texas districts (10 more in Dallas County).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, county of each district's office.
Contact
200 E Belt Line Rd, Desoto, TX 75115
Phone: (972)223-6666
Website: desotoisd.org
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory.