The El Paso Independent School District (or EPISD) is the largest

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, wh ...

serving

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

(

USA 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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

). Originally organized in 1883, it is currently the largest district in 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.

's Educational Service Center (ESC) Region 19, as well as the largest district within the city of El Paso and El Paso County. The EPISD also provides public education to the children of U.S. Army soldiers stationed at

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of William Wallace Smith Bliss, LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President ...

. The district headquarters are located in El Paso. 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.

Board of Trustees

The EPISD is managed by a school board (called the Board of Trustees) composed of seven publicly elected school board

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

s and a single superintendent. Each trustee represents one of the seven districts in the EPISD.

Statistics

* More than 63,000 students. * 92 campuses. * With more than 9,000 employees, it is the largest employer in

. * Covers more than . * Estimated annual operating budget is $403-million. * Twelfth largest

(as of 2016-2017) * 57th largest

in the

United States 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 territorie ...

History

* In 1882, El Paso Independent School District was established, with Joseph Magoffin, Samuel Freudenthal and Edward Pew as the founding trustees and Calvin W. Esterly as the first superintendent. * In 1889, the first

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

ever established in

was established at Alamo Elementary School in the EPISD. * In 1916, the first high school in the EPISD was established: El Paso High School. * In 1927, Bowie High School was established to reduce overcrowding at El Paso High School by converting a grammar school built in 1923 in

Central El Paso Central El Paso is part of the city of El Paso, Texas, and contains some of the city's oldest and most historic neighborhoods. Located in the heart of the city, it is home to approximately 130,000 people. Development of central El Paso st ...

. * In 1930, Austin High School was established as the third high school in the EPISD, admitting its first students following its construction in 1929. *In 1949,

Jefferson High School This is a list of memorials to Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States and the author of the United States Declaration of Independence. Buildings Elementary schools *Jefferson Elementary School, in Cammack Village, Arkansas *Thoma ...

was established in

* In 1955,

Burges High School Burges is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alan Burges (1911–2002), Australian botanist *Anthony Burges (or Burgess; d. 1664), English Nonconformist clergyman *Cornelius Burges (1589?–1665), English minister *Daniel Burges ...

was established in

East El Paso East El Paso is an area of El Paso, Texas, United States, that is located north of Interstate 10, east of Airway Blvd., and south of Montana Ave. East El Paso is the fastest growing area of town. With a population of over 150,000, east El Paso is ...

. * In 1959,

Irvin High School Irvin High School is an El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) high school in El Paso, Texas, United States. It opened in September 1959. It is named for Dr. O.C. Irvin, Dr. E.H. Irvin, and Mr. C. M. Irvin. All three of these men were well- ...

was established in Northeast El Paso. * In 1961,

Andress High School Andress High School is a public high school located on the northeast side of El Paso, Texas. The school serves about 2,000 students in the El Paso Independent School District. It is located in the Sun Valley neighborhood

was established in Northeast El Paso. * In 1962, Coronado High School was established in

Northwest El Paso Northwest El Paso (better known as West El Paso or the West Side) is an area of El Paso, Texas that is located on the west side of the Franklin Mountains. It is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods within the city of El Paso, Texas. It h ...

. * In 1993, Franklin High School was established in

. * In 1999, the district's oldest operating school, Alamo Elementary School, celebrated its 100th birthday. * In 2000, Chapin High School was established in Northeast El Paso. * In 2011, the district's superintendent Lorenzo Garcia was arrested by the FBI. He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud- he stole money from the district and also had high school principals illegally kick students out of school and illegally change 10th graders to being listed as members of other grades, in order to cheat on the state's standardized tests. * In 2012, the district's board of trustees were stripped of power by the Texas Education Agency, and oversight of the district was given to a TEA-appointed board of managers, because the trustees failed to stop Garcia's wrongdoing and failed to fire his co-conspirators after he was arrested.

List of schools

High schools

*Located in

** Austin High School *Located in

*Located in Northeast El Paso **

** Chapin High School **

Transmountain Early College High School Transmountain Early College High School, commonly referred to as TMECHS, is the Early College High School for the El Paso Independent School District. TMECHS participates in the STEM School program, and through collaboration with EPCC, allows st ...

*Located in South Central El Paso ** Bowie High School **

** Silva Health Magnet High School ***2003, 2011, 2017

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, ...

*Located in West El Paso ** Coronado High School ** Franklin High School *Located in

West Central El Paso West central El Paso is part of the city of El Paso, Texas, USA. The area is located north of Interstate 10 and west of the Franklin Mountains. The University of Texas at El Paso is located in the heart of the area. It is part of the El Paso Ind ...

** El Paso High School

Middle schools

*Located in

** Armendariz Middle School ** Bassett Middle School ** Ross Middle School *Located in

** MacArthur Elementary-Intermediate School *Located in Northeast El Paso ** Canyon Hills Middle School ** Charles Middle School ** Magoffin Middle School ** Richardson Middle School ** Terrace Hills Middle School *Located in South Central El Paso ** Guillen Middle School ** Henderson Middle School *Located in West El Paso ** Brown Middle School ** Haskins Elementary-Intermediate School ** Hornedo Middle School ** Morehead Middle School *Located in

** Wiggs Middle School

Elementary schools

*Located in

** Clendenin Elementary School ** Coldwell Elementary School ** Crockett Elementary School ***1985-86

** Hillside Elementary School ***2000-01

** Hughey Elementary School ** Moreno Elementary School ** Rusk Elementary School ** Travis Elementary School *Located in

** Cielo Vista Elementary School *Located on

** Bliss Elementary School ** Logan Elementary School ** Milam Elementary School ** Powell Elementary School *Located in Northeast El Paso ** Barron Elementary School ** Collins Elementary School ** Moye Elementary School ** Newman Elementary School ** Nixon Elementary School ** Park Elementary School ** Stanton Elementary School ** Sunrise Mountain Elementary School (formerly Lee Elementary School; renamed in 2020) ** Tom Lea Elementary School ** Torres Elementary School ** Whitaker Elementary School *Located in West El Paso ** Green Elementary School ** Guerrero Elementary School ** Herrera Elementary School ** Johnson Elementary School ** Kohlberg Elementary School ** Lundy Elementary School ** Polk Elementary School ** Putnam Elementary School ** Rivera Elementary School ** Tippin Elementary School ** Western Hills Elementary School ** White Elementary School *Located in South Central El Paso ** Aoy Elementary School ** Clardy Elementary School ** Cooley Elementary School ** Douglass Elementary School ** Hart Elementary School ** Hawkins Elementary School ** Zavala Elementary School *Located in

** Lamar Elementary School ** Mesita Elementary School

Special campuses

* College Career and Technology Academy (formerly Sunset High School and School Age Parent Center) *Delta Academy (alternative campus for juvenile detention center inmates) *Occupational Center *Regional Day School For The Deaf *San Jacinto Adult Learning Center *Telles Academy (disciplinary campus) *Young Women's STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy

Former campuses

* Alamo Elementary School (in South-Central El Paso; closed 2005; initially slated to reopen following renovations, but consolidated with Hart Elementary School in 2011) * Alta Vista Elementary School (in East-Central El Paso; closed in 2019 due to declining enrollment) * Beall Elementary School (in South-Central El Paso; closed in 2019 due to declining enrollment) * Bond Elementary School (in West El Paso; consolidated with Roberts Elementary and Lincoln Middle to form Haskins Elementary-Intermediate School in 2021) * Bonham Elementary School (in East El Paso; closed in 2021 and consolidated with MacArthur Elementary-Intermediate) * Bradley Elementary School (in Northeast El Paso;closed in 2021, consolidated with Fannin Elementary School at Torres Elementary School) * Burleson Elementary School (in South-Central El Paso; closed in 2019 due to declining enrollment) * Burnet Elementary School (in Northeast El Paso; closed in 2018 due to declining enrollment) * Crosby Elementary School (in Northeast El Paso; consolidated with Dowell Elementary and Schuster Elementary to form Duran Elementary in 2021) * Dowell Elementary School (in Northeast El Paso; consolidated with Crosby Elementary and Schuster Elementary to form Duran Elementary in 2021) * Dudley Elementary School (in West-Central El Paso; replaced by Mesita Elementary School in 1948) * Fannin Elementary School (in Northeast El Paso;closed in 2021, consolidated with Bradley Elementary School at Torres Elementary School) * Highland Elementary School (replaced by Moreno Elementary School in 2000) * Houston Elementary School (in East-Central El Paso; closed in 2010 due to declining enrollment, now the Houston School of Choice, a continuation high school) * Jones Elementary School (in West-Central El Paso; closed and razed in 1972 along with the

Smeltertown Smeltertown was a residential community in El Paso County, Texas, housing the workers of the ASARCO smelter and their families, between El Paso and the Texas borders with Mexico and New Mexico. With only one small neighborhood, now known as th ...

neighborhood it served and in which it was located) * Lincoln Elementary School (in South-Central El Paso; moved and reconfigured to form Lincoln Middle School) * Lincoln Middle School (in West El Paso; consolidated with Bond Elementary and Roberts Elementary to form Haskins Elementary-Intermediate School in 2021) * Navarro Elementary School (in Ciudad Juarez since 1963 because it was located on land ceded to Mexico under the terms of the Chamizal Treaty. It is now part of the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez ACJ. * Roberts Elementary School (in West El Paso; consolidated with Bond Elementary and Lincoln Middle in 2021 to form Haskins Elementary-Intermediate) * Roosevelt Elementary School (in South-Central El Paso; closed in 2006, consolidated with Aoy Elementary School) * San Jacinto Elementary School (closed in 1976, now San Jacinto Adult Learning Center) * Schuster Elementary School (in Northeast El Paso;closed in 2019 due to declining enrollment) * Vilas Elementary School (in West-Central El Paso; closed in 2016, now a satellite campus of Mesita Elementary School, Mesita Early Childhood Development Center at Vilas, which serves prekindergarten to first grade)

Dormant campuses

* Wainwright Elementary School (in Northeast El Paso; mothballed since 2005; currently used as a science resource center)

Administrative offices

El Paso Independent School District HQ 04

Its current headquarters are in

Downtown El Paso Downtown El Paso is the central business district of El Paso, Texas. Historical downtown James Day, an El Paso historian, said that downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Street and San Francisco Street. At a later ...

. It includes two buildings: an , eight story building that was acquired and a newly built , three story building. The district began leasing a property on the grounds of

El Paso International Airport El Paso International Airport (EPIA, , es, Aeropuerto Internacional de El Paso) is four miles (6 km) northeast of downtown El Paso, in El Paso County, Texas, United States. It is the largest civil airport in West Texas. It handled 3,516,91 ...

in 1963 to house its administrative headquarters. By the 2010s the City of El Paso desired the use of the property for airport expansion, but chose to defer the original 2014 expiration of the lease to at least December 31, 2019 so EPISD had time to find a new headquarters location. In 2021 the current EPISD headquarters opened. The district spent $3.2 million to buy the land and the building on it for the downtown headquarters.

Notable EPISD alumni

F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film ''Amadeus (film), Amadeus'' (1984) ...

, an award-winning

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, is a graduate of El Paso High School. *

Alan Culpepper Alan Lawrence Culpepper (born September 15, 1972) is an American distance runner and two time United States Olympian (2000 & 2004). Along with competing on four World Championship teams, his accomplishments include finishing fourth in the Bosto ...

, a two-time Olympian (2000, 2004) and three-time US Cross-Country Champion, is a graduate of Coronado High School. *

Sam Donaldson Samuel Andrew Donaldson Jr. (born March 11, 1934) is an American former reporter and news anchor, serving with ABC News from 1967 to 2009. He is best known as the network's White House Correspondent (1977–1989 and 1998–99) and as a panelist ...

, a famous television journalist, is a graduate of El Paso High School. *

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero is ...

, a former professional wrestler for

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWE) who was WWE Champion, two-time

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and member of the WWE Hall of Fame, was a graduate of

. *

Emcee N.I.C.E. Aulsondro "Novelist" Hamilton, better known by his stage name Emcee N.I.C.E., is an American Christian hip hop recording artist. Five No. 1 hit records on the ''Billboard'' charts in "I Got Angels" claiming two positions along with "Glory to ...

(Aulsondro "Novelist" Hamilton) is a Multi-Platinum musician,

was a part of Lighter Shade of Brown the first

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Rap group in the history. Produced iconic musicians such as Tupac,

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

, Aaron Hall & more. He is also associated with The 78th Academy Awards winning film Crash (2004 film) Soundtrack along with 7 more notable soundtracks and over 30 records recorded as a member of

KansasCali KansasCali is an alternative rock group that was formed in 1999 and composed of rapper Aulsondro "Novelist" Hamilton, also known as Emcee N.I.C.E. and singer Anderson "Pittboss" Johnson originally an R&B/hip hop duo before adding guitarist/drummer ...

. He attended Travis Elementary, Bassett Junior High School, Canyon Hills Junior High & Irvin High School before moving to Kansas *

Shoshana Johnson Shoshana Nyree Johnson (born January 18, 1973) is a Panamanian-born former United States soldier, and the first black female prisoner of war in the military history of the United States. Johnson was a Specialist of the U.S. Army 507th Mainten ...

, a famed

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

, is a graduate of

. * Tom Lea, famed author and painter, was a graduate of El Paso High School. * Tom Moore, a cartoonist best known for the "Archie" comic books series, is a 1946 graduate of Austin High School. *

John Moyer John Moyer (born November 30, 1973) is an American musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for the heavy metal band Disturbed. Taking over in 2004 after Steve "Fuzz" Kmak was fired, Moyer has played bass guitar with the group s ...

, the current bassist for the rock band

Disturbed Disturbed may refer to: Books * ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author) Film and TV * ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell * "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs'' * "The Disturbed", a 20 ...

, is a graduate of Coronado High School . *

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

, a former

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

Associate Justice, is a graduate of Austin High School. *

John D. Olivas John Daniel "Danny" Olivas (born May 25, 1966 in North Hollywood, California) is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut. Olivas has flown on two space shuttle missions, STS-117 and STS-128. He performed EVAs on both missions, totaling 3 ...

, a NASA astronaut, is a graduate of

. * Lupe Ontiveros, a veteran actress, was a graduate of El Paso High School. *

Nolan Richardson Nolan Richardson Jr. (born December 27, 1941) is a former American basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and led the Razorbacks to three F ...

, a nationally recognized basketball coach, graduated from Bowie High School. *

Rubén Salazar Ruben Salazar (March 3, 1928 – August 29, 1970) was a civil rights activist and a reporter for the ''Los Angeles Times,'' the first Mexican-American journalist from mainstream media to cover the Chicano community. Salazar was killed during t ...

, a noted Mexican-American journalist, was a graduate of El Paso High School.

Other notables who have attended EPISD schools

* Richard Ramirez, known as The Night Stalker, a serial killer who died of natural causes while awaiting execution in California, attended

but dropped out. *

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

attended Houston and Crockett Elementary Schools before her family moved to California. *

Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...

, actress and Manson Family murder victim, attended

briefly in 1959 and 1960.

References

External links

* {{Authority control School districts in El Paso, Texas Education in El Paso, Texas School districts established in 1883

Board of Trustees

Statistics

History

List of schools

High schools

Middle schools

Elementary schools

Special campuses

Former campuses

Dormant campuses

Administrative offices

Notable EPISD alumni

Other notables who have attended EPISD schools

See also

References

External links