About Dr. Daniel P. King

Dr. Daniel P. King 

Time Served at PSJA ISD 
June 2007 – September 2019

A public-school superintendent for the final 20 years of his 42-year career in public schools, Dr. Daniel P. King was named the 2013 Texas Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators and was also designated the 2006 Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards. He was honored by President Barack Obama at the White House as a Champion of Change for Latino Education and has been the recipient of numerous other national, state, regional, and local honors. In 2019, he was personally invited to attend Governor Gregg Abbot’s State of the State address and was publicly recognized by the Governor in his speech to the Texas Legislature. 

In 2007, Dr. King took the helm of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District. Under his leadership, PSJA made tremendous progress on some of the most significant challenges that faced the state and nation. A border school district serving more than 32,000 students (99% Hispanic and 89% economically disadvantaged), PSJA ISD had a dropout rate almost double the state average. The number of annual dropouts was rapidly and dramatically decreased, and the dropout rate was reduced to less than half the state rate, progress that was sustained over his 12-year tenure at PSJA. In addition, the number of annual high school graduates more than doubled and the four-year graduation rate increased from 62.4% in 2007 to exceed 90% in each of the last 4 years he held the position, while the overall high school completion rate increased to almost 97%. PSJA became a state and national model for dropout prevention and recovery, inspiring state legislation (SB 975) and replication of its innovative initiatives across Texas and the nation.

In the meantime, PSJA undertook an even bolder initiative College³ (All Students: College Ready. College Connected. College Complete. ™), initiating and scaling a network of Early College High Schools, concurrent and dual enrollment opportunities, and college and career connected career pathways. PSJA became the state and national leader in Early College and dual enrollment. In 2010, Governor Rick Perry designated PSJA as a State Model and Demonstration Site. By 2019, more than 70% of PSJA’s graduating classes (2,000+ member graduating cohorts) had earned college hours by graduation day, with more than 50% having earned at least 12 hours, and almost 25% having graduated from South Texas College before high school graduation day. Approximately 500 students a year earned Associate Degrees while still in high school. PSJA was designated a National Demonstration Site for Early College work by Educate Texas, the Greater Texas Foundation and Jobs for the Future and awarded a grant to host an annual national conference on Early College High School scale-up. The conference was attended by hundreds of public and higher education leaders from across the nation representing 36 states. Many others traveled to the Rio Grande Valley throughout the year for educational tours providing a first-hand look at the work in PSJA.

Before coming to PSJA, Dr. King led Hidalgo ISD (3,300 students) for eight years. Under his leadership, a

district that had once been among the lowest performing in the State of Texas became the first Early College School District in the nation. In 2006, Hidalgo High School transitioned into an Early College High School for all students. This initiative acted as an accelerant to the rapidly improving district. Hidalgo ISD had already seen a dramatic increase in student performance and was rated Exemplary or Recognized by TEA for 9 consecutive years. The dropout rate plummeted, the graduation rate climbed, and college enrollment increased dramatically. In 2006, Hidalgo ISD (99% Hispanic, 93% economically disadvantaged) earned the H-E-B Excellence in Education Award as the most outstanding school district in Texas, and in 2007, U.S. News and World Report named Hidalgo High School the 11th best High School in the nation and #1 in Texas.

In both Hidalgo and PSJA, Dr. King committed to replacing outdated bilingual education models with a dual language or dual immersion program, with the goal of developing college ready biliteracy. With ever larger cohorts of bi-literate students moving up through the system, PSJA became the national leader in producing college ready, academically bi-literate high school graduates. Today, PSJA graduates over 1,000 dual language graduates a year.

Under Dr. King’s leadership, PSJA also became the state leader in Early Childhood education with innovative partnerships with private daycare providers, Head Start, and partnering with UTRGV for an in-house Early Head Start Program serving 700 children from birth to age 3. PSJA also developed an acclaimed special education transition program for severely disabled students from high school to age 22 that excelled in having these young adults progress to more independent living and employment, while challenging the limitations most place on these young men and women. PSJA’s Pathways to Independence and Student Life-house program quickly became state models. Perhaps more than any Texas district in modern history, PSJA impacted public and higher education legislation, state agency regulation; and change on the ground by demonstrating what could be done, welcoming visitors, and supporting them in replication efforts.

What is remarkable about this work is that in both districts, all these initiatives (and more) became models that not only attracted visitors from across Texas and the USA, but they changed the face of public education as each was taken and replicated and scaled for lasting impact. Dr. King’s determination to not accept the status quo and demand systemic change to rapidly advance equity and access in programs, opportunity and successful completion was forged in his long career as a school administrator overseeing curriculum, finance, and operations; serving as a principal and turning around a failing high school in Hidalgo ISD and a low-performing elementary school in Mission CISD. He spent his first 5 years in the business as a classroom teacher and an athletic coach where he developed a passion for helping each student succeed beyond expectations and became a champion for the students who face the most challenges.

In PSJA, Dr. King led an organization with 5,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $300 million. He led the most dramatic transformation in public education facilities ever seen in South Texas, transforming the entire district; planning, funding, and leading over $500 million in construction. At the time of his departure every educational facility in the district was either completely new and state-of the-art or transformed into such through complete renovation. The district received acknowledgement every year for fiscal excellence from the State of Texas and was one of the leading districts in the state in seeking and being awarded competitive grants from the state and federal government, as well as private foundations. 

Dr. King also served on numerous state and national boards, including Jobs for the Future, the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Education Advisory Board, the Education Commissioner’s Advisory Council, and the state P-16 Council. He also served as the President of the Equity Center and the South Texas Association of Schools where he vigorously led the charge for equitable funding of public schools and equitable treatment in matters of policy and practice.

Dr. King earned his PhD from The University of Texas at Austin. His undergraduate and Master’s level work was completed at Pan American University, or what is now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.