The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Math. The lowest is 4% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on William M Anderson El
William M Anderson Elementary is a small school serving pre-K through fifth grade in south Dallas. It enrolls a little over five hundred students, with class sizes ranging from about fifty to eighty-five per grade and an even split across the early grades. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a meaningful Black enrollment and very small numbers of other students. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, placing the school in a low-income community.
The school sits in Dallas, a large city experiencing significant growth and development. The surrounding neighborhood reflects broader patterns of southern Dallas: major employers nearby include Methodist Hospitals, the VA health system, and UNT Dallas, along with newer residential development at University Hills. Housing in the school's zip code has declined modestly in value over the past year and rents remain accessible, reflecting the area's affordability relative to other Dallas neighborhoods. The broader city is booming with new construction, a shift toward denser residential development, and corporate expansion, creating a dynamic but uneven economic landscape.
State assessment results from the most recent school year show consistent struggle across subjects and grades. In math, about four in ten third graders reached proficiency, while fifth graders landed closer to one in three. English language arts proficiency was variable: third grade showed particularly low results at about one in eight, fourth grade at roughly one in three, and fifth grade performed somewhat better at about half. Science proficiency in fifth grade was very low. When aggregated across all tested subjects, about one in three students reached "meets" or higher proficiency, a figure below the midpoint among the county's districts. The school does show some strength in the "approaches" level, where about two in three students land in math and about two in three reach that threshold in all subjects combined, suggesting foundational engagement even where grade-level mastery lags.
A parent may want to look into whether the school's current math curriculum, part of a recent district-wide overhaul, is beginning to affect these results. The school also participates in Dallas ISD's shift to an opt-out advanced coursework model, which automatically enrolls high-performing students into advanced math and reading, potentially creating accelerated pathways for students scoring well. Demographic data on English learners and special education enrollment were not available, making it difficult to assess how the school supports multilingual learners or students with disabilities, topics worth discussing directly with school staff given the high Hispanic enrollment and the presence of both Spanish and English assessments in the data.
The school also benefits from being part of Dallas ISD, which in May 2026 voters approved a record bond to replace twenty-six aging schools and eliminate portable classrooms over the next five years. Whether Anderson is on that replacement list or will receive facility upgrades is worth confirming with the district.
See more original research from School Decision →