Trini Garza with three 2015 graduates of the Dallas ISD high school that is his namesake.
Two Dallas ISD high schools in Oak Cliff are among 26 in Texas to receive a coveted honor from the U.S. Department of Education.
Trini Garza Early College High School at Mountain View College and Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy were named National Blue Ribbon Schools this week.
They were recognized, along with 325 schools across the nation, for “overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.”
One other school in Dallas, Christ the King Catholic School, received the award this year.
Trini Garza high school principal Marcario Hernandez is from Oak Cliff and graduated from Sunset High School.
He says he expects to travel to Washington, D.C., next month to receive the award.
The school’s namesake, Trini Garza himself, was the first Mexican American to serve on the DISD board of trustees. He’s now in his 80s and stays involved with the school. Hernandez says they plan to throw a birthday party for him this week.
Here are a couple of excerpts from a description of the school he wrote as part of the application process.
Garza ECHS has attained all seven state distinctions from the state of Texas four years in a row. These distinctions are for: Academic Achievement in English Language Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Top 25% Student Progress, Top 25% in Closing Performance Gaps and Post-Secondary Readiness. Finally, Garza ECHS was the only early college high school in the nation to receive the National Title 1 Distinguished School Award in 2017. 
Demographically, the students are 87% economically disadvantaged as identified by socioeconomic status data. The school serves a zip code where less than 10% of the population have attained a college degree based on recent U.S. Census data. In fact, most students who attend Garza ECHS are first generation college goers. The longstanding partnership and collaboration with the Dallas College Mountain View Campus has an important impact on the overall success of Garza ECHS. Aside from the rigorous college level curriculum, the relationship between the two institutions is integral to student success. Exposure to the MVC campus and college courses provides students collegiate experiences that will benefit them beyond high school graduation.Â
