The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in Math. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Harrell Budd El
Harrell Budd Elementary sits on South Marsalis Avenue in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, part of Dallas ISD and serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school draws from a neighborhood where home values run well below both the Texas statewide median and the national median, and have declined year over year. Rents in the surrounding zip code have moved in the opposite direction, rising modestly, which puts pressure on families who rent. For a family weighing a move to this part of southern Dallas, the housing is among the more affordable within the city, though the cost-to-income ratio still reflects the reality of a high-cost rental environment nationally.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black student population as well. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing Harrell Budd squarely among Dallas ISD's highest-need campuses. Data on English learner counts and special education rates were not available in the materials provided. The school's third-grade ELA results were assessed on the STAAR Spanish exam, which tells you something about the linguistic profile of the early grades: a meaningful share of younger students are being instructed and tested in Spanish, consistent with a bilingual or dual-language program pathway, though the data here does not specify the program model.
On the Texas STAAR assessments, proficiency rates across grades and subjects are low compared to state norms. In math, fewer than a third of third and fourth graders reached the "meets grade level" threshold, and the sixth-grade math rate was similarly below one in three. Fifth-grade math and ELA were the relative high points, with math approaching a two-fifths pass rate and ELA just over half, though those results come from smaller tested groups. Science proficiency in fifth grade was the weakest result across all subjects and grades reported. Looking across tested subjects as a whole, Harrell Budd falls below the midpoint relative to districts in Dallas County. A parent who wants to understand what supports are in place to move these numbers should ask the school directly about its intervention programs, tutoring resources, and how it identifies and serves students who are falling behind.
One piece of broader context matters here. Dallas ISD publicly reported a shift from an opt-in to an opt-out model for advanced coursework, automatically enrolling students who score well on state exams into honors-level math, reading, science, and social studies. That policy change, which happened at the district level, has expanded access to advanced tracks across the system. Whether and how that affects Harrell Budd students as they move to middle and high school is worth asking about.
The district also publicly reported passing a record bond measure in May 2026, the largest school bond in Texas history, which funds replacement of aging school buildings, removal of portable classrooms, and safety and technology upgrades across the system over the next several years. Families weighing facility quality should follow which campuses are included in the replacement list, since the bond reshapes the physical environment district-wide over time.
Dallas itself offers a dense array of employment anchors in southern Dallas specifically, including large health systems, a growing university presence at UNT Dallas nearby, and a master-planned development called University Hills breaking ground adjacent to that campus. The surrounding neighborhood is car-dependent by city standards, and Harrell Budd's location in southern Dallas puts it away from the walkable districts like Uptown or Bishop Arts. DART light rail and bus service connect this part of the city to the broader metro, though specific transit access to the school's immediate area was not detailed in the materials.
For a family rooted in this neighborhood, Harrell Budd is the local public option from pre-K through sixth grade. The academic picture, as the state data shows it, reflects challenges that are real and that a parent should engage with directly rather than assume will resolve on their own.
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