Non-District Students Filling Seats In Many DISD Schools
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DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - There's a much-talked about Dallas Independent School District student who appeared on the popular TV show American Idol. He attends Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts. "He lives in Fort Worth," an educator at the school exclaimed.
At Booker T. there are 118 students, 17-percent of the school's enrollment, who came to the campus from "out-of-district."
More than 500 non-district students fill the seats in Magnet, Academy, Vanguard, Montessori and other specialty academic programs.
Dallas ISD spokesman Andre Riley said, "Many these programs have rigorous entrance requirements."
The school district's admission requirements for many of the specialty schools include test proficiency, higher GPA's and essay or audition approval. But in some of the more rigorous academic programs, such as Dallas ISD's nationally recognized Talented and Gifted High School, 42 of the 244 students enrolled come from outside school districts.
Dallas ISD does not allow its own students who apply, but miss the mark, to enroll on a probationary basis. "We're not lowering standards. We want to maximize the use of these programs. Our desire and policy is to have as many of our students qualify for these programs. However, sometimes were not able to fill every slot," Riley acknowledged.
Maria Arellano attends Conrad High School. The senior says she plans to attend nursing school. But Arellano did not enroll in the districts' School for Health Professions. "I didn't know anything about it," she said.
According to Dallas DISD, 30 students outside district boundaries this year are accessing the education at the specialty school.
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