Dallas City Council member Maxie Johnson on Friday presented South Oak Cliff High School with a Gold Ribbon award.

"They have been doing a wonderful job academically. We know that they are one point from being an 'A' school… We want them to continue to do a great job educating our students here at South Oak Cliff High School," Johnson said.

Award recognizes achievement in low-income schools

The award comes from Children at Risk, a nonprofit that ranks schools based on student achievement, growth, and college readiness. The Gold Ribbon is given to schools that serve mostly low-income students and achieve strong academic outcomes.

"We've performed athletically, this tells you that no matter what the challenges are, that our students can learn, just like anyone else, and so this is the pride of the South Side," said Dr. Willie Johnson, principal at South Oak Cliff High School.

School ratings show dramatic turnaround

The recognition comes months after the Texas Education Agency released its ratings. Over the years, the high school has gone from an "F" in the 2021-2022 school year to just one point shy of an "A" rating this past school year.

Principal cites restructuring and mindset shift

Principal Johnson said it has taken significant restructuring to reach this point.

"My first order of business was to try to change the people, like change our mindset, change the way we do, change our expectations, but if I couldn't change the people, I changed the people," he said.

Staff retention strengthens school stability

Johnson said that in his nine years at the school, he has been able to retain most of the staff.

"The biggest feedback, and the biggest confirmation is that 60% of the staff that have come, are still here," he said.