While the student population is much smaller than Cleveland ISD, Dayton ISD is still seeing a significant amount of growth year over year. Currently the high school has 1,634 students, more than 100 teachers and nearly 150 staff members when clerical staff, paraprofessionals, custodians and maintenance staff are included.
Dayton High School Principal Geoff McCracken, as the guest speaker for a recent Dayton Rotary Club luncheon, shared those figures, adding, “In two years, we anticipate our student population to be over 1900 students, and that is just with the students who are currently enrolled in DISD. It is not accounting for the growth that is coming. We are growing and the opportunities we provide our students are growing as well.”
McCracken shared that Dayton High School students can get up to 43 hours of dual academic college credit without ever leaving the DHS campus.
“In addition to dual credit, we offer 12 Advanced Placement classes where students can earn college credit by taking the course and passing the AP test. In addition, this year we have also adjusted our curriculum to help our students be successful on the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA), which is the College Entrance Exam for Texas Public Institutions of higher education,” McCracken said.
Career pathways and exploration is another vital part of all comprehensive high schools.
“At DHS we offer many different CTE classes that can help prepare students for a career. In partnership with Lee College, we offer technical Dual Credit Classes. These dual credit classes include Process Technology, electrical, welding, cosmetology and next year we are going to try to add offerings of a Cyber Security program and Logistics program. Dayton High School also offers 4-year pathways in welding, construction, culinary arts, business, audio video, automotive, education and agricultural classes all taught by DHS staff members. Students in many of these programs have the opportunity to take an Industry-Based Certification Exam or a Level 1/Level 2 certification that will allow them to enter the workforce with prerequisite training and higher paying entry positions,” McCracken said.
Other interesting facts that the DHS administrator covered with the Rotarians included:
