The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Davis El
Davis Elementary is a pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade public school in Garland serving roughly five hundred students. The school sits in a neighborhood with limited alternative schools nearby, making it a natural default choice for families in its attendance zone.
The enrollment reflects Garland's broader demographic makeup: a substantial majority of students identify as Hispanic, with meaningful representation of Black and Asian students and smaller groups of white and multiracial children. An overwhelming share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating concentrated economic need. The school does not report enrollment data for English learners or students with disabilities, so parents interested in these program details should ask directly.
Academic performance is modest. In the most recent state testing data, proficiency rates across math and English language arts fall well below where most Texas schools sit. Third-grade math proficiency was particularly low; fourth-grade ELA showed more traction, reaching about one out of every two students meeting or exceeding the standard. The data carries an important caveat: some grade and subject combinations show very small tested populations, especially in the Spanish-language assessments, which makes those specific results less stable. Across all tested grades and subjects combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among Dallas County districts, a meaningful but limited strength. Parents accustomed to high-proficiency schools should understand that this is a school where students are still building foundational skills, and student outcome variation by grade level is real.
Garland ISD, the district that operates Davis, has made structural changes that affect school assignment. A consolidation plan has closed or merged several elementary campuses since 2024-25 to align with declining enrollment. While Davis was not named in the consolidation announcements reviewed here, parents living in the zone should verify school assignment with the district, as these reductions reshape which schools receive which students.
The district adopted a new curriculum framework built on explicit instruction and diagnostic assessment, with growth targets through 2030. This represents a pedagogical direction that families will observe in classroom teaching and regular progress monitoring. The district has also levied property tax increases in 2023 and again in 2025 to address aging facilities and budget needs, and those costs are part of the broader family calculus in this area.
Housing in the 75042 ZIP code is relatively affordable for the Dallas area, though prices have declined modestly in the recent past and rents have fallen as well. The neighborhood character is typical inner-ring suburban Garland: a mix of older ranch-style homes and newer planned-community construction, with established tree-lined streets and clear separation of residential from commercial zones.
Davis Elementary is a small school serving students with real economic and academic challenges. It is not a choice school; it is a neighborhood school in a district managing enrollment decline and facility aging. The right fit depends on whether a family is looking for a local public school that knows its students, accepts modest current proficiency, and is part of a district investing in instructional change.
See more original research from School Decision →