K B Polk Center for Academically Talented & Gifted, Dallas TX

Original Research by School Decision on K B Polk Center for Academically Talented & Gifted

K B Polk Center for Academically Talented & Gifted is a public school serving early grades through middle school in Dallas, housed in a regular campus rather than a charter or magnet model. The school carries an explicit mission in its name: it targets academically talented and gifted students, meaning enrollment is selective rather than open to the neighborhood at large. Families considering this school should understand that it is not a neighborhood school but rather a draw school for identified advanced learners.

The student body reflects Dallas's demographics: a large majority identifies as Hispanic, with substantial Black enrollment and smaller populations of white, Asian, and multiracial students. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school draws from economically diverse circumstances. Enrollment sits at around the four hundred mark, spread across early childhood through eighth grade, with the largest cohorts in the upper elementary and middle grades.

State test results show an uneven academic picture that parents should examine closely. In English language arts, the school performs quite strongly in the upper grades. Grade seven proficiency rates are exceptionally high, as are grade eight rates, and grade six shows solid attainment. The lower grades tell a different story: proficiency in third and fourth grade ELA is modest, though fifth and sixth grade bounce back considerably. Mathematics is more volatile. Third and fourth grade math proficiency rates are quite low, fifth grade jumps to a much stronger level, sixth grade dips again, and eighth grade recovers to solid standing. Science results are sparse by grade; eighth grade science shows reasonable proficiency, but fifth grade science proficiency was essentially absent in the reported cohort. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, as the small sample size and apparent language variation in how tests were assessed may explain the pattern.

Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places this school in the top quartile of Dallas County school comparison cohorts. The school's mean proficiency index outperforms the county median substantially. That aggregate strength masks the grade-level variation, however. The progression suggests that students arrive with inconsistent foundational skills in the lower grades, and that instruction either strengthens substantially as students age or that the composition of students taking the test shifts. Parents with younger children should ask the school directly about third and fourth grade mathematics and literacy supports, what the school attributes to the patterns in the data, and what instructional changes have been made recently.

Dallas ISD, the district governing this school, is in an expansive phase. In May 2026, voters approved a historic bond measure that will replace aging school buildings, eliminate portable classrooms across the district, and upgrade safety and technology infrastructure over the coming years. The district has also shifted to automatic enrollment in advanced coursework for qualifying students, broadening access to honors mathematics, reading, science, and social studies. At the same time, the district adopted a new mathematics curriculum and reduced the role of internal standardized test preparation. These changes ripple through all district schools, including this one.

Housing in the Dallas zipcode where this school is located sits well above the state benchmark for home values, and monthly rents are in the mid-range for the region. Families relocating to Dallas to attend this school should expect a competitive housing market. The broader Dallas area continues strong growth and development, with major investment in new residential construction, mixed-use development in multiple neighborhoods, and transit connections through the regional DART system.

This school is a selective-enrollment option for families seeking a rigorous academic environment for identified talented students. The strong aggregate test results reflect that intentional selection. The lower results in early grades warrant direct conversation with school leadership about curriculum, teacher expertise in those grades, and what the school expects of students who arrive below grade-level benchmarks. For families with high-achieving students and the ability to navigate a selective application process, this school offers a defined pathway; for families of students still developing foundational skills, the fit requires clarity on how the school approaches the academic gaps that the test data flags.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 19% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 46% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 32% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 39% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 50% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 52% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 580%

School 80% · District 58% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 48% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 797%

School 97% · District 48% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 48 pts above state median · ▲ 55 pts above county median

Grade 886%

School 86% · District 52% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 13% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 37% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 27% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

This schoolDALLAS ISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income80%51 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income71%Higher-income86%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income96%Higher-income100%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income86%Higher-income83%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income68%Higher-income70%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income64%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income58%Higher-income82%24 pp gap