Pre-kindergarten classes for all 3- and 4- year-olds in Dallas ISD will be free starting next school year.
The district鈥檚 school board voted unanimously Thursday to approve a universal pre-K program, joining other North Texas districts, and .
Up until now, free pre-K in Dallas ISD was only available on a qualifying basis. That included military households, low-income families, non-English learners, and children of Dallas ISD teachers.
Data shows pre-K benefits all students, said Debbie Ramos, the district鈥檚 assistant superintendent for enrollment and early learning.
鈥淭hose who attend pre-K are doing about 30 percentage points better than those who do not attend pre K,鈥� Ramos told Dallas ISD trustees during a March 12 briefing. She added that by third grade, pre-K kids are already doing better in both reading and math.
In Dallas, where enrollment had fallen in some recent years, Ramos said 80-93% of Dallas ISD pre-K students stay in the district when they move into kindergarten classes.
鈥淎mazing,鈥� said trustee Ben Mackey. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 incredible.鈥�
Dallas Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said 267 families currently pay tuition of between $2,500 a year for half-day and $5,000 a year for full-day classes.
She told trustees the district could offer free tuition for all because the district has open spaces and enough teachers without needing to hire more.
鈥淲e can actually fill those seats鈥ithout them having to pay tuition because the seats are already available,鈥� she said at the briefing. 鈥淚t's a more effective use of current resources.鈥�
School-board member Dan Micciche welcomed the move. 鈥淚 think it's a great idea,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he more students we can have in pre-K, the better, and certainly our results have shown that. I think it鈥檚 innovative and a good thing to do.鈥�
The district will start accepting pre-K enrollees for next year beginning April 1.
Bill Zeeble is 四虎影院鈥檚 education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X .
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