Brighter Horizons Academy (BHA) is an Islamic pre-

K–12 K–12, from kindergarten to 12th grade, is an English language expression that indicates the range of years of publicly supported primary and secondary education found in the United States and Canada, which is similar to publicly supported sch ...

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily design ...

school located in

Garland, Texas Garland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located within Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County with portions extending into Collin County, Texas, Collin and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties. It is located northeast of Dallas and is a ...

. Founded in 1989, BHA was accredited in 2006. It is one of the first Islamic schools to offer a dual-credit program in conjunction with the

Dallas County Community College District Dallas College is a public community college with seven campuses in Dallas County, Texas. It serves more than 70,000 students annually in degree-granting, continuing education, and adult education programs. Dallas College offers associate degr ...

, which allows students to graduate high school with an

associate's degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree. ...

History

Foundation

The School was founded in 1989 by Islamic Services Foundation. The first building was a 2,000 sq.ft. residential property purchased in 1990, located on Polk street. The current campus property was purchased in 1993. Phase I of the two-story main building was completed in 1999, consisting of a 28,000 sq ft building and playground. In 2003 an adjacent medical office building was purchased to be used for the Early Childhood Education building. BHA received accreditation from

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

(SACS) CASI in 2006. SACS CASI uses five standards when accrediting a school, which are purpose and direction, governance and leadership, teaching and assessing for learning, resources and support systems, and using results for continuous improvement.

Student life

School uniform

The school colors are blue and gold, and the

school uniform A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution. They are common in primary school, primary and secondary schools in various countries and are generally widespread in Africa, Asia, O ...

consists of a combination of light blue or grey tops, and grey or navy slacks, All clothing adheres to Islamic standards of dress. Girls are required to wear a

headscarf A headscarf is a scarf covering most or all of the top of a person's, usually women's, hair and head, leaving the face uncovered. A headscarf is formed of a triangular cloth or a square cloth folded into a triangle, with which the head is cov ...

beginning in the 5th grade.

Logo and mascot

The school logo is an open

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

with the word Iqra (, "Read"). The mascot is a star.

Clubs and organizations

BHA competes in Private Schools Interscholastic Association competitions each year.

Academics

BHA has a dual-credit program with

Richland College Dallas College Richland Campus (often stylized as Richland or RLC) is a public community college in Dallas, Texas. The school was founded in 1972 and is part of Dallas College. It is the largest campus in the college, featuring about 20,000 st ...

. Juniors and Seniors may take college courses at the BHA campus. There are 100 full-time teachers and staff. The school has introduced a laptop program in which all students enrolled in 11th grade receive a laptop. In addition to academics, BHA offers an Islamic Studies and

Hifz In Islam, a Hafiz (; , pl. ''ḥuffāẓ'' , f. ''ḥāfiẓa'' ) is a person who has memorized the Quran. Hafiza is the female equivalent. A hafiz is highly respected by the community. A hafiz or hafiza are given titles such as "Hafiz Sahb" ...

program. The Hifz program is offered both full-time and after school and is separate from the Islamic Studies courses offered as standard curriculum.

References

External links

Brighter Horizons Academy website
{{authority control 1989 establishments in Texas Schools in Garland, Texas High schools in Garland, Texas Educational institutions established in 1989 Islamic schools in Texas Private K–12 schools in Dallas County, Texas Islamic organizations established in 1989