Analyzing Public School Education Inequalities in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

Abstract:Purpose: This paper investigates the influences of racial and socioeconomic factors on public schools' performancein the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex. Research Methods: I obtained data from the Texas Education Agency(TEA) and the American Community Survey (ACS), representing 366,568 students attending 239 public highschools in the DFW Metroplex, which included public schools located in Colin County, Dallas County, TarrantCounty, and Denton County. I measured public school performance based on graduation rate metrics and averageSAT scores from graduating students. Findings: I found a significant correlation between racial and socioeconomicfactors on public school performance. I found that the percent composition of socioeconomically disadvantagedstudents was the highest correlator to decreased academic performance. Further, I found a positive correlationbetween the percentage of socioeconomically disadvantaged students attending a given high school in relation to thepercentage of African-American and Hispanic students attending a given high school. Notably, I found that publicschools in the DFW Metroplex were highly segregated by racial and socioeconomic factors. Implications: Thisstudy highlights the necessity for policy pushes to diversify public school districts. Many public schools in the DFWMetroplex remain extensively segregated by racial and socioeconomic factors, and our findings underscore theimportance of ensuring equitable resource distribution amongst public schools, specifically in school systems withlarge percentages of African-American, Hispanic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students.