United Independent School District is a

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

headquartered in

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

History

The district was created in 1961 via the consolidation of the former Cactus, Johnson, and Nye school districts. The "Big Three" involved in the establishment of UISD were rancher Joe B. Finley, Amparo Gutierrez, and John W. Arndt, all of whom have schools named in their honor. By the 2000s, United ISD had a rapidly growing student population due to the burgeoning populations of many colonias along the Texas-

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

border. As of the 2000s, United ISD gains about 1,500 students per year. On November 5, 2013, voters handily approved a $408.7 million school bond issue to acquire land, construct new schools, and expand other facilities. The tabulation in a low-turnout election was 5,148 (66.1 percent) in support and 2,643 (33.9 percent) in opposition. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" under the accountability ratings system used by the

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

Service area

UISD serves portions of the city of Laredo, the cities of El Cenizo and Rio Bravo, and several unincorporated areas in

Webb County Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 267,114. Its county seat is Laredo. The county was named after James Webb (1792–1856), who served as secretary of the treasury, secret ...

. The

census-designated places A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

include: * Bonanza Hills * Botines * Colorado Acres * Four Points * Hillside Acres * La Coma * La Moca Ranch * La Presa * Las Haciendas *

Las Pilas Las Pilas (or El Hoyo) is a complex volcano located in the western part of Nicaragua. Part of a 30-km-long volcanic massif, Las Pilas has a series of well-preserved flank vents surrounding a central cone. Las Pilas last erupted in the 1950s and ...

* Laredo Ranchettes * Laredo Ranchettes West * Los Altos *

Los Arcos Los Arcos is a town and Spanish municipality, in the Chartered Community of Navarre, situated in the administrative division of Estella, in the region of East Estella and is 62 km from the capital of the community, Pamplona Pamplona ( ...

* Los Centenarios *

Los Corralitos Los Corralitos is a census-designated place (CDP) in Webb County, Texas, United States. This was a new CDP for the 2010 census, with a population of 35. Geography Los Corralitos is located at (27.641193, -99.557476). Demographics Los Corra ...

* Los Fresnos * Los Huisaches * Los Minerales * Los Nopalitos * Los Veteranos I * Los Veteranos II * Pueblo East * Pueblo Nuevo * Ranchitos East * Ranchitos Las Lomas * Ranchos Penitas West * San Carlos * San Carlos II * Sunset Acres * Tanquecitos South Acres * Tanquecitos South Acres II * Valle Verde It also serves Larga Vista, now a part of Laredo. United ISD's land area exceeds that of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

Standardized dress

Students in pre-Kindergarten through 8th grades are required to follow standardized dress code provided by the district; the dress code began during the 2006-2007 school year. Since the 2007-2008 school year, high school students are also required to follow the same standardized dress code procedures as approved by the Board of Trustees. The

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

specified that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform; parents must specify "

bona fide In human interactions, good faith () is a sincere intention to be fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Some Latin phrases have lost their literal meaning over centuries, but that is not the case with , which is ...

" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections. Shortly before the 2021-2022 school year, the Board of Trustees passed a "casual dress code". However, some restrictions still apply.

Schools

High schools

* John B. Alexander High School (1994) * Lyndon B. Johnson High School (2001) * United High School (1963) *

United South High School United South High School is a high school located in the southern portion of Laredo, Texas, United States. It is a part of the United Independent School District. It consists of over 40 school organizations, and mostly serves students with Hispa ...

(1990) * Step Academy

Middle schools

*Antonio Gonzalez Middle School (2002) *Clark Middle School (1978) *George Washington Middle School (1995) *Lamar Bruni Vergara Middle School (2006) *Los Obispos Middle School (1996) *Raul Perales Middle School (2018) *Ricardo Molina Middle School (2022) *Salvador Garcia Middle School (1995) *Trautmann Middle School (1996) *United Middle School (1984) *United South Middle School (1990) *Elias Herrera Middle School (2020) *Roberto Ramirez Middle School (2024)

Elementary schools

*John W. Arndt Elementary School *Colonel Santos Benavides Elementary School *Freedom Elementary School *Charles R. Borchers Elementary School, named for the former district attorney of the 49th Judicial District Court and former UISD board president Charles Robert Borchers of Laredo *Centeno Elementary School *Clark Elementary School *

Henry Cuellar Enrique Roberto "Henry" Cuellar ( ; born September 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district extends from the Rio Grande to San Ant ...

Elementary School *De Llano Elementary School *Barbara Fasken Elementary School *Finley Elementary School *:National Blue Ribbon School 1998-99 *Freedom Elementary School *Bonnie L. Garcia Elementary School *Amparo Gutierrez Elementary School *Juarez-Lincoln Elementary School *Kazen Elementary School *

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

Emiliano Zapata Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; 8 August 1879 – 10 April 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the insp ...

Elementary School *Killam Elementary School *Malakoff Elementary School *Julia Bird Jones Muller Elementary School *Newman Elementary School *Nye Elementary School *Perez Elementary School *Prada Elementary School *Roosevelt Elementary School *Ruiz Elementary School *Salinas Elementary School *San Isidro Elementary School *Roberto J. Santos Elementary School *Trautmann Elementary School *Veterans Memorial Elementary School *Senator Judith Zaffirini Elementary School ; Former school: *United D.D. Hachar Elementary School

References

External links

* {{Authority control School districts in Webb County, Texas 1961 establishments in Texas