Garland Independent School District is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, whi ...

with its headquarters in the Harris Hill Administration Building in

Garland, Texas Garland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located northeast of Dallas and is a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is located within Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County except for small portions located in Collin County, Texa ...

, United States. Garland ISD extends from the

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

city limits, northeast to the county line and serves parts of the communities of

Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...

Rowlett Rowlett (, traditionally ) is a city in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and an eastern suburb of Dallas. The total population estimate is 73,270 in 2021. It is a growing, upsc ...

, and Sachse. Small portions of

and Wylie are served by Garland ISD. The district encompasses approximately . With a student enrollment of 56,459 students, GISD is currently the fourth largest school district in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and is thirteenth largest district in the state of Texas. Garland High School, the district's first high school, is more than one hundred years old. In 2009, the school district was rated " academically acceptable" 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.

Choice of School Plan

Garland ISD implements a Freedom of Choice/Choice of School plan, which allows parents to choose which school his/her children want to attend within the district for the following school year. The Choice of School plan is a desegregation plan resulting from the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration req ...

. The plan stipulates that all schools must adhere to the ethnicity ratios established by the courts while not exceeding the student capacities of each individual campus. Most students choose to attend the school to which they would be assigned absent Free Choice; preference is given to students residing closest to the school facility. Garland ISD schools have defined "transportation areas" that provide school bus transportation to students who live two or more miles from the nearest available school. Garland ISD has the only "free choice system" in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

. The change in demographics, with GISD's student body becoming about 50% Hispanic and Latino by 2013, interfered with the ethnicity bands set in the 1980s.

Statistics

In 2016 the attendance rate for students in the district was 96%, compared with a state average of 96%. 48% of the students in the district were economically disadvantaged, 10% enroll in special education, 7% enroll in gifted and talent programs, 22% are enrolled in career and technology programs, and 24% are considered "limited English proficient." In 2006 the ethnic makeup of the district was 40.7%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

, 32.5%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, non-Hispanic, 18.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 7.6% Asian/

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, and 0.5% Native American. the district had over 2,000 students of Vietnamese heritage. GISD operates Spanish and Vietnamese bilingual programs, the latter only being available at grades PK-3 at 10 elementary schools and Parsons PreK. In 1997, over 50% of the students were non-Hispanic white. In 2000 27% of the students were Hispanic or Latino, but this increased to 37% by 2005. From 1997 to 2016 the number of non-Hispanic white students had declined by 65%. From 1997 to 2016 the number of students on free or reduced lunches, a way of classifying a student as low income, increased by 160%. In 2006

Teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

s in the district carry, on average, 10 years of teaching experience and 12% of the teachers on staff are first-year teachers. 74% of the teachers hold

bachelors A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymol ...

, 24% hold

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

, 1% hold

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

s, and less than 1% have no degree. 60% of students in the district took SAT/ ACT standardized examinations with an average score of 1009 and 20, respectively. 23% of students took an AP and/or IB examination.

Facilities

Secondary schools

High schools

5 in Garland, 1 in Rowlett, 1 in Sachse
* Garland High School (

) (opened 1864 as "Garland School;" evolved into Garland High in 1902) *

Lakeview Centennial High School Lakeview Centennial High School is a public secondary school in Garland, Texas, in the United States. It enrolls students in grades 9– 12 and is a part of the Garland Independent School District. The school's name derives from two sources: ...

(Garland) (opened 1976) *

Naaman Forest High School Naaman Forest High School is a public secondary school located in Garland, Texas, United States. Naaman Forest enrolls students in grades 9- 12 and is a part of the Garland Independent School District. In 2009, the school was rated " academica ...

(Garland) (opened 1988 as a junior highschool; evolved into a senior highschool in 1992) * North Garland High School (Garland) (opened 1971) * Rowlett High School (

) (opened 1996) *

Sachse High School Sachse High School is a public high school located in Sachse, Texas ( USA). Sachse High School enrolls students in grades 9- 12 and is a part of the Garland Independent School District. The first graduating class was the Charter Class of 200 ...

( Sachse) (opened 2002) * South Garland High School (Garland) (opened 1964) Other * Garland ISD Evening School (on the campus of Garland High School, Garland) * Gilbreath-Reed Career Technical Center (

) (opened 2017)

Middle schools

9 in Garland, 2 in Rowlett, 1 in Sachse * Austin Academy for Excellence (Garland) **1992-93

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. **2016-17

* Bussey Middle School (Garland) * Classical Center at Brandenburg Middle School (Garland) (opened 1972) **2009 National Blue Ribbon School * Coyle Middle School (Rowlett) (opened 1973) * Sam Houston Middle School (Garland) * Hudson Middle School (Sachse) (opened 1992) * Jackson Technology Center (Garland) * Lyles Middle School (Garland) **1992-93

* O'Banion Middle School (Garland) * Schrade Middle School (Rowlett) * Sellers Middle School (Garland) * Webb Middle School (Garland)

Primary schools

36 in Garland, 9 in Rowlett, 2 in Sachse *Luke & Betty Abbett Elementary School (Garland) (opened 1989) *Armstrong Elementary School (Sachse) (opened August 19, 2002) *James M. Back Elementary School (Rowlett) *Beaver Technology Center (Garland)(opened in 1960, became a magnet in 1997) *Bradfield Elementary School (Garland) *Bullock Elementary School (Garland) (opened 1962) *Randolph Caldwell Elementary School (Garland) (opened 1955) *George Washington Carver Elementary School (Garland) (opened 2007) *Centerville Elementary School (Garland) **2008

*Classical Center at Vial Elementary School (Garland) (opened 1974) *Club Hill Elementary School (Garland) (opened 1974) *Cooper Elementary School (Garland) (opened 1963) *Couch Elementary School (Garland) *Daugherty Elementary School (Garland) **The original capacity was 800, and for generations that was adequate for its enrollment. By 2006 it was overcrowded with 1,300 students. *Davis Elementary School (Garland) *Dorsey Elementary School (Rowlett) (opened August 12, 1996) *Ethridge Elementary School (Garland) *Freeman Elementary School (Garland) *Joyce Giddens-Steadham Elementary School (Rowlett) (opened August 9, 1999) *Golden Meadows Elementary School (Garland) *Handley Elementary School (Garland) (opened 1964) *Heather Glen Elementary School (Garland) *Carl L. Herfurth Elementary School (Rowlett) (opened 1988) *Hickman Elementary School (Garland) (opened 1975) *Hillside Academy for Excellence (Garland) **2016-17 National Blue Ribbon School *Keeley Elementary School (Rowlett) (opened August 1991) *Kimberlin Academy for Excellence (Garland) **1991-92, 1998–99, 2015-16

*Liberty Grove Elementary School (Rowlett) (opened 2007) *Lister Elementary School (Garland) *Luna Elementary School (Garland) *Montclair Elementary School (Garland) *Northlake Elementary School (Garland) *Park Crest Elementary School (Garland) *Nita Pearson Elementary School (Rowlett) (opened 2004) *Routh Roach Elementary School (Garland) **By 2006 Roach received an addition due to increasing student enrollment. **2006-07, 2014-15

*Rowlett Elementary School (Rowlett) (opened 1979) *Sewell Elementary School (Sachse) (opened 1992) *Shorehaven Elementary School (Garland) *Shugart Elementary School (Garland) *Southgate Elementary School (Garland) *Spring Creek Elementary School (Garland) (opened August 1981) *Stephens Elementary School (Rowlett) (opened August 15, 1994) *Toler Elementary School (Garland) (1976) *Walnut Glen Academy for Excellence (Garland) (opened 1988) **1996-97, 2007–08, 2014-15

*Watson Technology Center (Garland) (opened in 1956, became a magnet in 1997) *Weaver Elementary School (Garland) *Williams Elementary School (Garland)

Pre-Kindergarten schools

2 in Garland * Gloria Cisneros PreKindergarten School * Florence Parsons Prekindergarten School

Rentable facilities

Curtis Culwell Center is a $31.5 million multi-purpose rentable facility featuring an arena and a conference center. The complex was built by HKS, Inc. and funded by a bond election held in fall of 2002. Although the facility replaced Southern Methodist University's

Moody Coliseum Moody Coliseum is a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Texas (an inner suburb of Dallas). The arena opened in 1956. It is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs basketball teams and volleyball team. It was also home ...

as Garland ISD's primary location to host the district's commencement exercises in May 2005, the complex was formally completed in August 2005. The arena seats up to 7,500 for concerts, basketball/volleyball games, and graduation ceremonies. The conference center seats 400 guests in the ballroom for banquets and 140 guests in the tiered lecture hall.

Former schools

* George Washington Carver School - A segregated all

school named after the African American

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...

that was officially closed December 31, 1970, when Garland ISD desegregated. The district opened an elementary school with the same name in 2007.

Controversies / Incidents

Black History Month, 2016

On February 26, 2016 during a presentation at Coyle Middle School, students held up signs saying, “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe,” and “The Whole System Is Guilty.” In response, the Rowlett police chief Mike Broadnax said “Allowing this only promotes the discontent and hatred for police to continue. It’s a bad day.” In response, Coyle Middle School principal Michael Bland emailed school staff stating, "...If any of the political messages on the signs offended anyone, I apologize on behalf of the administration.".

Curtis Culwell Center incident

There was a "contest to draw cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad" that resulted in an attack by two Muslim men who were shot dead by Garland Police.

References

External links

*
Garland ISD Special Events Center2008-2009 GISD Academic Calendar in PDF format
{{Authority control School districts in Dallas County, Texas Education in Garland, Texas School districts in Dallas