GOLDEN RULE vs C A TATUM JR EL
GOLDEN RULE and C A TATUM JR EL are very closely rated, both scoring around 9.4 out of 10. C A TATUM JR EL is significantly larger with 417 students, about 4.1× the size of GOLDEN RULE (101). In math proficiency, GOLDEN RULE leads at 69.5%.
GOLDEN RULE
Dallas, TX
101 students
C A TATUM JR EL
Dallas, TX
417 students
Ratings Comparison
| Metric | GOLDEN RULE | C A TATUM JR EL |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 9.4 / 10 | 9.3 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 9.9 | 9.0 |
| Growth Score | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 96% | 98.1% |
| Environment Score | 7.8 | 9.0 |
| State Rank | #32 of 8,547 | #48 of 8,547 |
| State Percentile | 100th | 100th |
Test Scores
| Subject | GOLDEN RULE | C A TATUM JR EL |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 69.5% | 42.0% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 69.5% | 42.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
| Detail | GOLDEN RULE | C A TATUM JR EL |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Elementary School | Elementary School |
| Grades | Pre-K – 5th | Pre-K – 5th |
| Enrollment | 101 | 417 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 12.6:1 | 12.3:1 |
| Per-Pupil Spending | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 96.0% | 98.1% |
| Chronic Absenteeism | — | — |
| District | GOLDEN RULE CHARTER SCHOOL | DALLAS ISD |
| City | Dallas | Dallas |
Neighborhood
| Metric | Dallas (75262) | Dallas (75227) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | — | $59,395 |
| Median Home Value | — | $203,000 |
| Median Rent | — | $1,277 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | — | 13.7% |
| Poverty Rate | — | 16.4% |
| Avg Commute | — | 30 min |
The data story: GOLDEN RULE vs C A TATUM JR EL
Golden Rule and C A Tatum Jr El are both top-50 elementary schools in Texas, ranked among 8,547 schools statewide. Golden Rule sits at #32 versus C A Tatum Jr El at #48, a gap of 16 positions despite their overall ratings being nearly identical — 9.4/10 for Golden Rule and 9.3/10 for C A Tatum Jr El. Parents comparing these two schools are choosing between two genuinely high-performing campuses, not between a strong school and a weaker one.
The clearest academic separation is in the academic score: Golden Rule earns a 9.9/10 compared to C A Tatum Jr El's 9.0/10 — a 0.9-point delta that reflects meaningfully higher measured proficiency at Golden Rule. Growth scores, however, are identical: both schools post a 9.7/10, meaning students at each campus are advancing at the same above-average rate relative to academic starting points. Golden Rule's academic edge comes from where students perform, not from how fast they're moving.
Demographically, the two schools share a similar socioeconomic profile — Golden Rule serves 96% free/reduced lunch students and C A Tatum Jr El serves 98% — making either an unusually high-performing campus within a high-need population. The sharpest structural difference is enrollment: Golden Rule has 101 students versus C A Tatum Jr El's 417, more than four times larger. Student-teacher ratios are close but slightly favor C A Tatum Jr El at 12.3:1 against Golden Rule's 12.6:1, a marginal difference that likely matters less than the overall school size when it comes to community feel.
Both campuses cover PK through 5th grade. Golden Rule operates as a charter school, while C A Tatum Jr El is a traditional Dallas ISD neighborhood public school. That distinction carries real practical weight: charter enrollment typically requires an active application or lottery, while C A Tatum Jr El admission follows standard district zoning. The 13.6-mile distance between them means families are unlikely to be weighing both as equally convenient options without a deliberate commute.
Editorial summary generated April 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
GOLDEN RULE
Golden Rule suits a family that prioritizes raw academic performance and a small, tight-knit campus environment. With only 101 students and a 9.9/10 academic score, it fits parents willing to navigate charter enrollment logistics in exchange for a school where their child is likely to be academically pushed and personally known by staff.
C A TATUM JR EL
C A Tatum Jr El suits a family in its attendance zone who wants a high-performing neighborhood school without the charter application process. At 417 students, it offers more extracurricular breadth and peer variety while still ranking #48 in Texas — a remarkable outcome for a traditional public school serving a nearly all-FRL population.