David W . Carter High School David Wendel Carter High School ( commonly referred to as " Dallas Carter " ) is a public school located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas , Texas ( USA ) . David W . Carter High School , which covers grades 9 - 12 , is a part of the Dallas Independent School District . History . The school was built in 1965 and is named after David Wendel Carter , a doctor and member of the DISD school board . He served on the school board for 25 years , from 1925 to 1950 , longer than any other member . Carter also served as the school board ' s president for 16 years . The school graduated its first class of seniors in 1968 . The area surrounding Carter is one of the wealthier parts of Oak Cliff ; most homes were built in the early 1960s . Although Carter ' s students were almost completely white when the school opened , the student body became increasingly African - American in the late 1970s . The surrounding neighborhood remains solidly middle - class . The school initially drew students from Justin F . Kimball High School ; the two schools maintain a highly competitive rivalry to this day . The two schools face each other annually in football as " The Oak Cliff Super Bowl " . In 2005 , after the closure of the Wilmer - Hutchins Independent School District . Carter absorbed some WHISD high school students . In 2011 the district re - opened Wilmer Hutchins High School . Some former WHISD zones covered by Carter were rezoned to Wilmer - Hutchins . Extracurricular activities . Football . Carter High School winning football program started with Joe Rush , Mike Baker , Danny Davis , Patrick Martin , O . C Jackson and Skip Jefferson . Patrick Martin was 1st team All - SWC at Arkansas 1978 . Dallas Carter has a very competitive American football program . Playing in the highest classification in Texas high school football , the Cowboys reached the state semifinals in 1971 ( lost 7 - 13 to Wichita Falls ) , 1974 ( lost 12 - 14 to Mesquite ) and 1982 ( lost 13 - 21 to Hurst Bell ) , but did not make the final game until 1988 . That year , Dallas Carter had one of the most talented high school football teams ever assembled , equipped with a defense featuring Jessie Armstead ( LB ) , Derrick Cherry ( DT ) , Clifton Abraham ( CB ) , Le ' Shai Maston and Derric Evans ( both S ) . Guided by legendary coach Freddie James , the Cowboys won the 1988 5A state championship with a 31 - 14 win over Converse Judson . During the 1988 playoffs , the University Interscholastic League ( UIL ) and the Texas Education Agency ( TEA ) attempted to remove Carter for using a player ineligible for an allegedly failing grade . The Dallas Independent School District ( DISD ) challenged the determination of the TEA in court and received a restraining order allowing them to continue play . Carter won the case in district court , Judge Joe Kendall ruling that the DISD , not the TEA , held the final authority to determine its students ' grade . ( The DISD had ruled that the student passed . ) The UIL and TEA appealed Judge Kendall ' s decision and the appellate court refused to hear it , declaring the case moot . In spite of the court ' s rulings , the UIL voted in 1991 to officially strip the title from Carter and award it to Judson . The DISD , weary from years of legal proceedings , decided not to further contest the matter . The 1988 Dallas Carter Cowboys appear in the 2004 film " Friday Night Lights " as opponents to Odessa Permian in the state championship game . Actually Carter defeated Permian in the 1988 state semifinals . The video clips used to show the 1988 Dallas Carter playing the “ Hays Rams ” was actually a 2002 playoff game between Carter and Richardson Berkner . Carter ' s 1989 team was just as talented as the 1988 squad , featuring Clifton Abraham in his senior year and transfer Greg Hill . However , they were banned from the 1989 state playoffs by the UIL executive committee because Carter coach Freddie James had knowingly played an ineligible player . Carter was also caught using police scanners in 1991 to intercept radio headset communications between opposing team ' s press box coaches and sideline coaches , limiting an opposing team to six first downs in a 1991 playoff game . Nonetheless , the " Dallas Morning News " ranked Dallas Carter at # 1 of the their final area ranking of the 1989 season . In 1990 , Carter reached the state semifinals again , but lost 7 - 28 to Arlington Lamar . Since James retired in 1995 , Carter had a couple of different head football coaches . Bruce Chambers chose to leave the school for an assistant job at Texas after two seasons . His successor Linus Walton coached 1998 and 1999 before being removed after he was convicted of stealing money from the school . In 2000 Carter had an interim coach . In 2002 , Carter hired Allen Wilson , who has previously coached at Paris High School in Paris , Texas and John Tyler High School in Tyler , Texas . Paris won a 4A state title in 1988 , while John Tyler won a 5A title in 1994 and made a finals appearance in 2000 . Carter owns a 53 - 8 record since Wilson ' s arrival . Dallas Carter had made 30 playoff appearances , which is best in the Dallas - Fort Worth area and 5th overall in 5A Texas football . Statistics . 53 % of the students at David W . Carter High School are economically disadvantaged , 12 % enroll in special education , 10 % enroll in gifted and talent programs , and 4 % are considered " limited English proficient . " The ethnic makeup of the school is 94 % African - American , 6 % Hispanic , less than 1 % White , non - Hispanic , less than 1 % Asian / Pacific Islander , and less than 1 % American Indian / Alaskan Native . The average class sizes at Carter are 24 students for English , 30 for foreign language , 22 for math , 23 for science , and 28 for social studies . Teachers at the school carry , on average , 11 years of teaching experience and 9 % of the teachers on staff are first - year teachers . Feeder patterns . As of 2006 , William H . Atwell and D . A . Hulcy Middle Schools feed into David W . Carter High School . Adelle Turner , Mark Twain Vanguard , and T . G . Terry Elementary Schools feed into William H . Atwell Middle School , and Birdie Alexander , Umphrey Lee , Ronald E . McNair , and Martin Weiss Elementary Schools feed into D . A . Hulcy Middle School , all of which ultimately feed into David W . Carter High School .