Original Research by School Decision on Hazel Ingram El
Hazel Ingram Elementary serves pre-kindergarten and kindergarten in Ferris, a rapidly growing small city south of Dallas in northern Ellis County. The school sits in a district undergoing substantial expansion driven by new residential development and a projected doubling of student enrollment over the next several years.
The school's enrollment is small, split roughly evenly between pre-K and kindergarten classrooms. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of white and Black students also represented. A very high share of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the attendance area. The school does not report data on special education identification or English learner enrollment, which is typical for schools serving only the youngest grades where formal identification and testing often occur later.
Because Hazel Ingram serves only pre-K and kindergarten, state academic testing and proficiency data do not apply; Texas does not assess reading and mathematics at these grade levels. Similarly, no graduation rate exists for this entity type. This is not a gap in performance reporting but a reflection of the grades served. If a parent wants to understand how the district's elementary programs perform once students reach tested grades, that information would come from state assessments at Ferris's other elementary campuses serving third grade and above, which are available through the district's public reporting.
Ferris is experiencing rapid growth. A major mixed-use development called South Creek, planned for thousands of homes, data centers, and advanced manufacturing, is underway nearby and could substantially reshape the area. The district just passed a significant bond in May 2025 to build a new elementary campus and add classrooms at existing buildings to handle enrollment growth projected through 2030. Housing in the Ferris area is modestly priced relative to the broader Dallas region, though property tax rates are among the highest in Dallas County because of the school district's debt service and operations funding structure.
Hazel Ingram is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. The district operates five schools across an area of more than eighty square miles, so campuses are geographically spread rather than clustered. The school's address places it on South Central in Ferris, a setting accessible by car from residential neighborhoods and developments throughout the district.
For a family with a preschooler or kindergartner, Hazel Ingram offers a neighborhood early-grades option within a district that is actively planning and building capacity for growth. The high free-and-reduced-lunch rate indicates a school serving a working-class and economically diverse community. Because this school serves only the earliest grades, a parent's longer-term fit consideration would include what happens when the child moves to elementary grades served by Ferris's other campuses and what those schools' academic track records and offerings look like, including the district's P-TECH early-college program at the high school for students interested in construction trades, logistics, and teaching pathways.
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