Highland Park High School (often shortened ''HPHS'' or ''HP'') 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 ...

co-education Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located immediately north of

downtown Dallas Downtown Dallas is the central business district (CBD) of Dallas, Texas, United States, located in the geographic center of the city. It is the second-largest business district in the state of Texas. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally ...

in University Park,

Dallas County Dallas County may refer to: Places in the USA: * Dallas County, Alabama, founded in 1818, the first county in the United States by that name * Dallas County, Arkansas * Dallas County, Iowa * Dallas County, Missouri * Dallas County, Texas, the nin ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. It is a part of the

Highland Park Independent School District Highland Park Independent School District (HPISD) is a public school district based in University Park, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. HPISD serves most of the town of Highland Park, all of the city of University Park, and two ...

, which serves approximately 32,200 residents who are predominantly college-educated professionals and business leaders in the Dallas community. It serves: all of the city of University Park, most of the town of Highland Park, and portions of

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 ...

. As of the 2016-17 school year, Highland Park had an enrollment of 2,160 students and 153.19 teaching staff (on an FTE basis). The CEEB code for Highland Park High School is 441740. The campus code for

TEA Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

reporting purposes is 057911001 (based on the HPISD code of 057911).

History

The first building was the yellow brick schoolhouse of the Armstrong School which opened on October 12, 1915. The Armstrong School only served children through ninth grade. In 1922, the high school moved to its own separate building on Normandy Avenue following HPISD's purchase of 11 lots in 1920. The tenth grade was added in the fall of 1922, and the eleventh grade a year later. In 1924, 34 students became the first graduating class of the

when they participated in the first-ever high school graduation ceremony of HPISD on June 2, 1924 (at that time, only eleven years of school were required prior to college admittance; it was not until 1937 that the twelfth grade was added.) The school yearbook for that year, the 1924 ''Highlander'', had a paragraph reading:

Many schools live merely on the momentum and traditions they have gathered in the more flourishing days of past. We are proud of our short past, but we are prouder of the Highland Park High School that is to be.

This first location (at the corner of Normandy Avenue and High School Avenue) later became the district's middle school in 1937 when the current Highland Park High School building was erected on Emerson Avenue. The old building became the Highland Park Junior High School, which in later years was renamed Arch H. McCulloch Middle School. The school added the fifth grade and split into Highland Park Middle School for grades 7 and 8 and Arch H. McCulloch Intermediate School for 5th and 6th graders upon moving to a new facility after which the old building was demolished. The street adjacent to the current middle school is named High School Avenue to this day. Eugene Lawler was the first principal. The complete list of principals through the present day is as follows: Wiseman, Sr. was principal for 34 years, retiring in 1962. Wiseman was a decorated Captain in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and served in combat during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Wiseman was featured in 1960 in ''Look Magazines May edition. Wiseman is credited for developing the first language laboratory in a public school in the United States. Convinced that students learned quickly by what they heard, he solicited funds from several prominent Highland Park businessmen to provide the reel-to-reel tape recorders needed to record and re-play the daily lesson plan. He then created a language lab. Mr. Wiseman had the first remedial reading classes in a public school in the United States for the condition known today as dyslexia, Mr. Wiseman tutored his own grandson, In 1987 the HPISD school board voted to not to petition the

University Interscholastic League The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, musical, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest organi ...

(UIL) to keep Highland Park High School in athletic class 5A; the UIL had the possibility of demoting Highland Park High School to athletic class 4A as part of its biannual reclassification. Since then, an old joke told around the UIL's bi-annual reclassification is that the cutoff for Class 4A is "Highland Park plus two", though in practice the school's enrollment has been well below the normal cutoff. In the 2014 reclassifications, the school moved up to 6A (a new classification added by the UIL as part of a larger reclassification). In the 2016 reclassifications, the school moved down to 5A. Much speculation over the upcoming 2018 reclassifications exists; there is a possibility the school will move back up to 6A. The average class size is 30 students per teacher, with about 550 students in a grade. In 2003, a four-year remodeling of the school was completed which added a new wing to provide more classroom space and allow for a new, larger cafeteria. In 2015, a $361.4 million bond package passed HPISD board approval and citizens' vote which would allow for new parking spaces and renovations to the attached tennis center and natatorium—eventually eliminating the natatorium and replacing it with classrooms. Currently, Highland Park High School is the only high school in the

. Other schools in the district include University Park Elementary, Robert S. Hyer Elementary, John S. Armstrong Elementary, John S. Bradfield Elementary and a fifth school which has not yet been named. These five schools feed into Arch H. McCulloch Intermediate School and Highland Park Middle School, both of which are housed in the same building.

Recent events

In 1999, Dallas police issued 200 alcohol and curfew violations citations to Park Cities teens partying in a Deep Ellum warehouse.

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

picked up the story, and after it emerged that parents had rented the facility and contracted a bus company to safely deliver high school students to and from the party, the Alliance on Underage Drinking (ALOUD) started the "Parents Who Host, Lose the Most" campaign, which informs parents about health, safety and legal ramifications of serving alcohol to underage individuals. In late 2004,

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

published young adult author

Francine Pascal Francine Pascal (''née'' Rubin, born May 13, 1938) is an American author best known for creating the Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. '' Sweet Valley High'' was the backbone of the collection, and was made into a popular television se ...

's '' The Ruling Class'', a teen drama set at Highland Park High School. The school's newspaper ''The Bagpipe'' published community reactions to the book and online reviews are mixed. In late 2005, ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the '' Galvest ...

'' published a story about the Friday of Highland Park's homecoming spirit week, on which several seniors dressed as thugs, Mexicans, maids and other caricatures of racial minorities. Some pointed to this as support for the general perception of Highland Park High School and the Park Cities as a "bubble" (as the area is known in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex). The article ignited a storm of letter-writing and editorializing to and in the Morning News. Soon after the article was published, two swastikas were spray-painted on a sign in front of the school. In 2005 and 2006, Highland Park students received a multitude of state and national awards, and established several new records in Texas. The UIL Science Team, under the leadership of AP Chemistry teacher Wenzen Chuang, won state for the second time in the history of the high school. ''The Bagpipe'' newspaper received the Gold Crown Award for excellence in journalism in 2005 and later that year was one of 15 high schools in the country to win an NSPA Pacemaker. The same year, the school's yearbook, ''The Highlander'', was chosen as a finalist for the NSPA Pacemaker award and ''Highland Park Television'' was chosen as a finalist for the NSPA Broadcast Pacemaker; ''Highland Park Television'' won the award the following year. ''The Bagpipe'' received a second Gold Crown Award in 2011, for the previous year's newspaper. The Highlander has won many awards in recent years, including a Gold Crown Award in 2018 as well as a Pacemaker award in 2019. In the winter of 2012 and the early spring of 2013, numerous

bomb threat A bomb threat or bomb scare is a threat, usually verbal or written, to detonate an explosive or incendiary device to cause property damage, death, injuries, and/or incite fear, whether or not such a device actually exists. History Bomb threat ...

s were found across the campus. Students and faculty were released early three times, and eventually the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

was called in. An arrest was made in April 2013. In 2013, the stage of the high school's auditorium (Palmer Auditorium) was honorarily named after Linda Raya, a longtime drama teacher at the school. Raya's 40+ year career at Highland Park oversaw the production of countless theatrical productions, which now continue to be produced on the newly named Linda Raya Stage. HPISD, Highland Park High School, and Superintendent Dawson Orr received national attention in September 2014 for the controversial banning of seven books previously used in high school English studies, after a group of parents protested the contents of these books. The seven books were: " The Art of Racing in the Rain," by Garth Stein; " The Working Poor: Invisible in America," by David K. Shipler; " Siddhartha," by

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual's ...

; " The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by

Sherman Alexie Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966) is a Spokane- Coeur d'Alene-Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His writings draw on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from se ...

; "

An Abundance of Katherines ''An Abundance of Katherines'' is a young adult novel by John Green. Released in 2006, it was a finalist for the Michael L. Printz Award. The novel includes an appendix by Daniel Biss, a close friend of Green, that explains some of the more c ...

," by

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube content creator, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including '' The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is ...

; "

The Glass Castle ''The Glass Castle'' is a 2005 memoir by American author Jeannette Walls. Walls recounts her dysfunctional and nomadic yet vibrant upbringing, emphasizing her resilience and her father's attempts toward redemption. Despite her family's flaws, t ...

," by

Jeannette Walls Jeannette Walls (born April 21, 1960) is an American author and journalist widely known as former gossip columnist for MSNBC.com and author of '' The Glass Castle'', a memoir of the nomadic family life of her childhood. Published in 2005, it had ...

; and " Song of Solomon" by

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...

. September 29, 2014, Orr reversed his decision to suspend the books, stating in an email to parents, "I made the decision in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict, and I readily admit that it had the opposite effect. I take full responsibility for the decision, and I apologize for the disruption it has caused." In 2015, Orr retired and was replaced by Dr. Tom Trigg who had previously served as the superintendent of

Blue Valley Unified School District Blue Valley USD 229 is a public unified school district headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, United States. Located in east central and southeast Johnson County, Kansas, covering of Overland Park including parts of Leawood and Stilwell, a ...

Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As ...

. Dr. Trigg's salary upon hiring was notable for its size, coming in at a base of $325,000 (compared to

Dallas ISD The Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD or DISD) is a school district based in Dallas, Texas (USA). It operates schools in much of Dallas County and is the second-largest school district in Texas and the seventeenth-largest in the U ...

's superintendent salary of $306,000).

Athletics

In 2005, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'' listed HP as the best sports program in the state of Texas (16th in the US).

Baseball

The baseball team's games are held at Scotland Yard (Highland Park), a cleverly named baseball field immediately north of the high school campus.

Swimming and diving

The Highland Park Girls Swimming and Diving team holds the record in all of UIL history for ten consecutive state titles.

Tennis

As of the end of the 2020 season, the school's tennis team has won 21 state titles, making it the school's most successful sport. From the start of the 2008 season until November 2015, the team kept an unbroken winning streak of 174 consecutive matches won. The streak was broken on 11 November 2015 when Highland Park lost to

New Braunfels New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just north ...

in the 6A semi-finals, marking the first time since 1999 that Highland Park would not compete in the state championship. From 2008 through 2014, the team won 8 consecutive state titles. The team returned to win the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 state titles.

Football

20th century

In 1920s, Bryan Street High School players called Highland Park's football team the "silk stocking boys." Games between the two caused so many riots between the spectators that they were banned from playing each other. Coach H. B. Howard was the football coach at the time. Dr. Shirley Hodges, a local Dallas pediatrician, served on the HPISD School Board and was the first team doctor for the football team. Coached by

Rusty Russell Rusty Russell is an Australian free software programmer and advocate, known for his work on the Linux kernel's networking subsystem and the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. Software development Russell wrote the packet filtering systems ipc ...

(1942–45) and led by

Doak Walker Ewell Doak Walker II (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. Walker then played professio ...

and

Bobby Layne Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit ...

, the Scots made it to the championship game two consecutive times in 1944 and 1945. After losing 20-7 to Port Arthur in 1944, Highland Park battled

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

to a 7-7 tie in the 1945 state championship in front of a record 45,790-person crowd at the Cotton Bowl to become co-champions. In 1947, Highland Park lost the state final 22-13 to San Antonio Brackenridge, while in 1957 they defeated Port Arthur 21-9 under the guidance of Thurman Jones.

21st century

The Highland Park football team is currently coached by Randy Allen, who holds a 361-86-6 record as of 2016, making him the second winningest active high school football coach in Texas and the fourth winningest of all-time in Texas. In January 2014, Allen was chosen as recipient of the 2013 Grant Teaff Fellowship of Christian Athletes Lifetime Achievement Award, joining such coaching greats as

Tony Dungy Anthony Kevin Dungy ( ; born October 6, 1955) is an American former football safety and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. Dungy's teams be ...

and

Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler Bowden (; November 8, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was an American college football coach. Bowden coached the Florida State Seminoles of Florida State University (FSU) from 1976 to 2009 and is considered one of the greatest college ...

. As of the end of the 2018 season, Allen has led the Scots to four state titles under his coaching (2005, 2016, 2017,and 2018). In 2005,

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected ...

led Highland Park to an undefeated season for the 4A Division I state championship. The 2005 season was Highland Park's only undefeated, untied season in program history. After a highly successful college career at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, he was drafted first overall by the Detroit Lions at the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...

. The team beat

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

59-0, the largest margin-of-victory ever in a UIL 11-man state championship football game. In 2007, the Scots went undefeated into the state final against Austin Lake Travis, but lost 36-34. , Highland Park Scots football teams had made a state-record 49 playoff appearances. In 2016, the Scots won the Division I 5A state final against

Temple, Texas Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the city has a population of 82,073 according to the U.S. census, and is one of the two principal cities in Bell County. Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in ...

, 16-7. In 2017, the Scots won the Division I 5A state final against

Manvel, Texas Manvel is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 9,992, up from 5,179 at the 2010 census. History The population increased from 5,179 to 9,992 from 2010 to 2020, and in November 2021 there wer ...

, 53-49 on 22 December 2017 in front of 24,975 people in AT&T Stadium. The Scots overcame a 10-point deficit in the final three minutes of the game and won the game just as Manvel was one yard from scoring again. Together with the 2016 title, marked the school's first ever back-to-back state championship wins. The 2017 season broke the school record for the most points scored in a single season by the Scots with 732 points in 16 games. As of 2017, they have had eight state finals appearances (and won five of them). In 2018, Highland Park won their 3rd straight state championship in a game against Shadow Creek and completed a perfect 16-0 record. In 2019, the Scots were the Division I 5A divisional champions.

Cross country

The Highland Park girls cross country team has set numerous records throughout the years; having sent a runner to the state meet every year since the first year the program was created. This cross country team has won more state championships than any other cross country team in the state of Texas.

Lacrosse

As of the close of the 2017 season, the Highland Park boys lacrosse team has won 7 Division I and 4 Division II Texas High School Lacrosse League (THSLL) state championships. This includes two years (2012 and 2015) in which both the DI and DII teams won their respective state titles simultaneously. DII titles are notable for the reason that many Texas high schools do not compete at the DI level, making DII titles the highest achievement for many schools. The team has included 23

US Lacrosse USA Lacrosse is the national governing body of men and women's lacrosse in the United States. It provides a leadership role in virtually every aspect of the game and has more than 450,000 members throughout the United States, and offers programs ...

All-Americans since 2004. The DI team was coached by Derek Thomson through the 2017 season. Thomson led the team to all 7 DI titles and won the THSLL Coach of the Year award twice. Upon his retirement, Thomson was also awarded the Earl Bill Award by the THSLL commissioner. Beginning in the 2018 season, Highland Park has fostered the development of a total of 28 players who went on to play Division I NCAA lacrosse in college. Of the 7 DI state titles, it is notable that 3 have been in victories over

St. Mark's School of Texas The St. Mark's School of Texas is a nonsectarian preparatory day school for boys in grades 1–12 in Dallas, Texas, United States, accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. History St. Mark's traces its origins to the T ...

(2009, 2010, and 2012) and 2 have been in victories over the

Episcopal School of Dallas Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

(ESD) (2005 and 2008). St. Mark's and ESD are both located in Dallas near to Highland Park. Other rivals include Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas (another Dallas-based team) which beat Highland Park in the 2016 and 2017 state DI title games. Unique among Highland Park High School's sports, the lacrosse team is not school-run because lacrosse is not a UIL-sanctioned sport. The team runs as a private organization.

Belles

The drill team at Highland Park High School is called the Highland Park Belles. They perform dance routines at halftime during football games and during pep rallies, as well as attending other events. The Belles were founded in 1983–84 with Cathy Wheat as director. Wheat is a member of the National Drill Team Directors Hall of Fame. She was director of the Irving High School Toy Tigers for 10 years before founding the Belles for whom she served as director for 23 years.

Angie Harmon Angela Michelle Harmon (born August 10, 1972) is an American actress and model. She won ''Seventeens modeling contest in 1987 at age 15, signed with IMG Models, and appeared on covers for magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''Esquire''. ...

, a Highland Park graduate, credits Wheat with inspiring her to have confidence as an actress. The Belles hold an annual fundraiser named "Spaghetti Supper." They sell tickets to Highland Park students and staff and to the rest of the Highland Park community. All of the money raised goes to fund the team's needs. A girl must go through and pass a rigorous tryout process to become a member of the Belles.

Field hockey

While it is not an official sport for the school, Highland Park does have a field hockey team. The team, founded in 2009, is considered a club team. Try-outs are held every spring to form both the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams. The field hockey season starts in August and goes through November. The team plays against other teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

State titles

*Baseball **1998(4A) *Girls Cross Country **1981(5A), 1982(5A), 1988(4A), 1989(4A), 1992(4A), 1997(4A), 1998(4A), 1999(4A), 2001(4A), 2002(4A), 2004(4A), 2010(4A), 2011(4A), 2012(4A) *Football **1945(All), 1957(ALL), 2005(4A), 2016 (5A DI), 2017 (5A DI), 2018 (5A D1) *Boys Golf **1950(2A), 1951(2A), 1977(4A), 1989(4A), 1990(4A), 1991(4A), 1992(4A), 1993(4A), 2001(4A), 2002(4A), 2003(4A), 2005(4A), 2006(4A), 2008(4A), 2010(4A), 2013(4A), 2019(5A) *Girls Golf **1998(4A), 1999(4A), 2000(4A), 2008(4A) *Boys Lacrosse **Division I: 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 **Division II: 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018 *Girls Soccer **1994 (All), 1996 (All), 2000 (4A), 2002 (4A), 2012(4A), 2016 (5A) *Boys Swimming **2000(4A), 2017(5A), 2018 (5A) *Girls Swimming **2001(4A), 2002(4A), 2003(4A), 2004(4A), 2005(4A), 2006(4A), 2007(4A), 2008(4A), 2009(4A), 2010(4A) *Team Tennis (22) **1982–83 (5A), 1989–90 (4A), 1990–91 (4A), 1991–92 (4A), 1997–98 (4A), 2001–02 (4A), 2003–04 (4A), 2004–05 (4A), 2005–06 (4A), 2006–07 (4A), 2008–09 (4A), 2009–10 (4A), 2010–11 (4A), 2011–12 (4A), 2012–13 (4A), 2013–14 (4A), 2014–15 (6A), 2016–17 (5A), 2018–19 (5A), 2019-2020 (5A), 2020-2021 (5A, 2021-2022 (5A) *Boys Track **1940(All) *Boys Wrestling **1999(All), 2000(All), 2003(All), 2005(All), 2006(All) Highland Park holds the UIL record for most athletic state titles by one school: 77 (in all classes).

Academics

Standardized testing

National Merit Scholarship program

Students at Highland Park take the PSAT in grades 10 and 11 and thus qualify for National Merit Scholarship Program awards. The following table summarizes recent years' awards:

SAT/ACT

About 99% of Highland Park students take the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

or ACT. The average SAT score in 2015–16 was 1833 (out of 2400) compared to a national average score of 1243. The average ACT score in 2015–16 was a 27.6 (out of 36) compared to a national average score of 20.6.

=Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB)

= Most Highland Park students choose to take

AP courses Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curriculum, curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement ...

; Highland Park High School does not offer IB courses. The high school offers open enrollment for more than 20 AP courses. All students enrolled in AP courses are required by the high school to take the relevant AP exam. Of the students at Highland Park, 78.6% choose to take an AP class and the ensuing exam in May 2015 compared to the state average of 24.9%. To illustrate how many students take exams, in May 2017, 1,093 Highland Park students took a combined 2,900 AP exams. In May 2015, 78.9% of exams taken were also passed, meaning the student received a score of 3 or higher. That compares to a state passing rate of 49.1% in May 2015 and a national passing rate of 67% in May 2017.

College

Highland Park High School has a graduation rate that is consistently above 98%, compared to the state average of 89.0% in 2015. The 6-year longitudinal graduation rate was 99.8% compared to the state average of 90.9%. 86.0% of HPHS graduates in 2015 were rated college-ready in both English Language Arts and Mathematics by the

compared to a state average of 35.0%. Scholarships offered to the graduating class of 2016 exceeded a comparable monetary value of $14,500,000—almost $30,000 per senior. After graduation, 94% of the graduating class of 2016 matriculated to a four-year college, including Harvard, Stanford,

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

. Other Highland Park graduates have studied at

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, Dartmouth, and other institutions.

Extracurriculars

Band

The Highlander Band's performance includes making its first-ever UIL State Marching Band finals appearance in 2017 where the band made the top ten. Their success continued into 2019 when they earned 2nd place in the UIL State Marching Band finals, marking the highest state placement of the band in its history.

Awards

In the September 1981 issue of ''Money Magazine'', Highland Park was ranked as one of the top twelve public high schools in the United States, and in January 1984 ''Parade Magazine'' listed Highland Park as among the top fifteen schools in the United States. In 2008, Highland Park was ranked 15th in

Newsweek Magazine ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widel ...

's list of the top public high schools 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 territori ...

, based on the

Challenge Index The Challenge Index is a method for the statistical ranking of top public and private high schools in the United States, created by ''The Washington Post'' columnist Jay Mathews. It is also the only statistical ranking system for both public and pri ...

by Jay Mathews. Highland Park High School has been named a

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, ...

on two occasions, in 1984-85 and again in 2007. In 2012, Highland Park was ranked 8th out of the top 10 high schools in North Texas by

Children at Risk CHILDREN AT RISK is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that drives changes for children through research, education, and influencing public policy. Founded in the year of 1989 in Houston, Texas and with an office opened in North Texas in 2011, ...

, a research and advocacy institute dedicated to helping children. In 2016, Highland Park was named one of "America's Best High Schools" by

and earned a spot on U.S. News & World Report's Gold Medal list of top high schools. In 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked Highland Park the 210th best high school in the U.S. and 35th in Texas.

Literary festival

In 1995, the first Highland Park Literary Festival began as a collaboration between interested parents and the English Department. The event has become an annual festival where HPHS students have enjoyed meeting, working with, and learning from distinguished writers, including

George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American writer. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found ''The Paris Review'', as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also known for " ...

Doug Wright Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''. Early years Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, DC, he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, gr ...

, Marion Winik,

Scott Simon Scott Simon (born March 16, 1952) is an American journalist and the host of ''Weekend Edition Saturday'' on NPR. Early life Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of comedian Ernie Simon and actress Patricia Lyons.

, Tim O'Brien,

Russell Banks Russell Banks (born March 28, 1940) is an American writer of fiction and poetry. As a novelist, Banks is best known for his "detailed accounts of domestic strife and the daily struggles of ordinary often-marginalized characters". His stories usua ...

Anchee Min Anchee Min (; born January 14, 1957, in Shanghai, China) is a Chinese-American author who lives in San Francisco and Shanghai. Min has published two memoirs, ''Red Azalea'' and ''The Cooked Seed: A Memoir'', and six historical novels. Her ficti ...

Billy Collins William James Collins (born March 22, 1941) is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York (retired, 2016). Collins ...

Tobias Wolff Tobias is the transliteration of the Greek which is a translation of the Hebrew biblical name he, טוֹבִיה, Toviyah, JahGod is good, label=none. With the biblical Book of Tobias being present in the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha of the Bible, T ...

, and

Jamie Ford Jamie Ford (born July 9, 1968) is an American author. He is best known for his debut novel, ''Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.'' The book spent 130 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, and was also awarded best "Adult Fiction" b ...

Affluence

The Park Cities (Highland Park and University Park) are often referred to as "The Bubble." 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.

campus profiles state that the funds spent per student at Highland Park are similar in amount to those spent per student at Woodrow Wilson High School.Jennings, Jordan, Amanda Presmyk, Laura Murphy, and Essete Workneh., "Discrepancy between levels of public education visible in Dallas." ''

The Daily Campus ''The Daily Campus'', founded in 1896, is a student-run newspaper at the University of Connecticut that has a circulation of 2,000 on weekdays during school term. ''The Daily Campus'' has the largest circulation of any college paper in Connectic ...

''. Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Updated on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
1
. Retrieved on December 17, 2011. The average teacher's salary at HPHS is $60,770 compared to the state average of $51,891.

Student body

According to ''

'', in 2005 the high school's ethnic makeup was about 99% white. By 2014, that number dropped to 90.3% of the graduating class being white. In 2015, 89.1% of the graduating class was white. In the 2015–16 school year, 88.4% of the Highland Park High School student body was white. In the 2010–11 school year HPHS had no low income students.Jennings, Jordan, Amanda Presmyk, Laura Murphy, and Essete Workneh., "Discrepancy between levels of public education visible in Dallas." ''

''. Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Updated on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
2
Retrieved on December 17, 2011. By the 2015–16 school year, that number remained at 0.0% economically disadvantaged students for the entire District. In 2010–11, 7.9% of the students were considered "at risk," but in 2015–16 that rose to 11.4%. About 80% of students partake in extracurricular activities, and over 50% partake in athletic teams. By 2011 a ''

'' report stated that 93% of HPHS students were "college-ready" (ready to attend post-secondary educational institutions). Although students are only required to complete 50 hours of community service to graduate, the graduating class of 2017 averaged 150 hours per senior.

Notable alumni

Arts/sciences/academics

Pierce Brown Pierce Brown (January 28, 1988) is an American science fiction author who writes the ''Red Rising'' series, consisting of '' Red Rising'' (2014), '' Golden Son'' (2015), ''Morning Star'' (2016), ''Iron Gold'' (2018) and '' Dark Age'' (2019). Pe ...

, Class of 2006, science fiction author * Donald D. Clayton, Class of 1953, prize-winning astrophysicist, SMU Distinguished Alumnus, American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow * James Cronin, 1980

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning physicist *

Carol Hall Carol Hall (April 3, 1936 – October 11, 2018) was an American composer and lyricist. She was best known for composing the music and lyrics for the Broadway stage musical '' The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' (1978, adapted as a film in 1982) ...

, 1954, composer and lyricist *

, 1991, actress, star of TV series '' Rizzoli & Isles'', '' Law & Order'' * Robert H. Jackson, 1952, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer of

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...

's assassination *

Wendy Kopp Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...

, 1985, founder of Teach for America *

Dorothy Malone Dorothy Malone (born Mary Dorothy Maloney; January 29, 1924 – January 19, 2018) was an American actress. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years, she played small roles, mainly in B-movies, with the exception of a supporting role ...

, actress, 1956

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Supporting Actress *

Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and ''Playboy'' Playmate. A sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s while under contract at 20th Century Fox, Man ...

, actress, star of films including ''

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? ''Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?'' is a 1957 American satirical comedy film starring Jayne Mansfield and Tony Randall, with Betsy Drake, Joan Blondell, John Williams, Henry Jones, Lili Gentle, and Mickey Hargitay, and with a cameo by Groucho M ...

'', '' Promises! Promises!'' * L. Lowry Mays, 1954, Chairman of the Joint Board, National Association of Broadcasters, Chairman, Board of Regents, Texas A&M University *

Stephanie March Stephanie Caroline March Benton (born July 23, 1974) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Alexandra Cabot in the crime drama franchise ''Law & Order'', which she played in the NBC series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2 ...

, 1993, actress, star of TV series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' * Holland Roden, Class of 2006, actress, star of TV series ''Teen Wolf'' * Megan Mylan, 2008 Academy Award-winning documentarian *

Willis Alan Ramsey Willis Alan Ramsey (born 5 March 1951) is an American singer/songwriter, a cult legend among fans of Americana and Texas country. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Dallas, Texas. Ramsey graduated from Highland Park High School ...

, Class of 1969, singer/songwriter *

Phillip Sandifer Phillip Sandifer (born 10 May, 1959) is an American writer, musician, recording artist and music producer. His music is primarily known within the Americana and Inspirational music field. Personal life Phillip Sandifer was born in Baltimore, Ma ...

, 1977 singer/songwriter * Stark Sands, Class of 1997, film, stage and television actor *

Elliot See Elliot McKay See Jr. (July 23, 1927 – February 28, 1966) was an American engineer, naval aviator, test pilot and NASA astronaut. See received an appointment to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1945. He graduated in 1949 with ...

, Class of 1945, Project Gemini astronaut, killed in the

1966 NASA T-38 crash The 1966 NASA T-38 crash occurred when a NASA Northrop T-38 Talon crashed at Lambert Field in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 28, 1966, killing two Project Gemini astronauts, Elliot See and Charles Bassett. The aircraft, piloted by See, cras ...

, Pulitzer Prize- and

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning playwright * Robert M. Young, Darwin scholar and Kleinian psychotherapist

Athletics

Fred Benners Frederick Hagaman Benners (June 22, 1930 – January 6, 2023) was an American football player. He played the 1952 NFL season for the New York Giants. Benners also played at Southern Methodist University and is considered one of the greatest Mustan ...

, quarterback for NFL's New York Giants *

David Browning David Greig "Skippy" Browning Jr. (June 5, 1931 – March 13, 1956) was a diver from the United States and Olympic champion. He represented the US at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, where he received a gold medal in springboard diving. A ...

, 1952 Olympic gold medalist in 3-meter springboard diving * Harrison Frazar, professional golfer *

Mike Heath Michael Thomas Heath (born February 5, 1955) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees (1978), Oakland Athletics (1979–1985), St. Louis Cardinals (1986 ...

, swimmer, three gold medals and one silver at 1984 Olympics * Shaun Jordan, two-time Olympic gold medalist with 400-meter free-relay teams at 1988 Olympics and

1992 Olympics 1992 Olympics may refer to: *1992 Summer Olympics, which were held in Barcelona, Spain *1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 ...

Clayton Kershaw Clayton Edward Kershaw (born March 19, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) . He has played for the Dodgers for the entirety of his MLB career. A left-handed starting pi ...

, World Series Champion (2020)

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, 3-time Cy Young Award winner (2011, '13, '14),

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

MVP (2014) *

Hank Kuehne Henry August "Hank" Kuehne II (born September 11, 1975) is an American former U.S. Amateur champion and professional golfer who enjoyed some success on the PGA Tour. Kuehne was born in Dallas, Texas. His father started him playing golf at a youn ...

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

golfer and 1998

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

champion * Kelli Kuehne, LPGA golfer and two-time U.S. Women's Amateur champion *

Trip Kuehne Ernest W. "Trip" Kuehne III (born June 20, 1972) is an American amateur golfer. He is most remembered for his defeat at the hands of Tiger Woods in the 1994 U.S. Amateur,

, 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur Golf champion and 3-time

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

golf

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n *

, quarterback, 3-time NFL champion,

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

inductee *

Lance McIlhenny Lance McIlhenny is a former American college football player who was an award-winning quarterback for Southern Methodist University. He led the SMU Mustangs to two Southwest Conference championships. Biography McIlhenny is considered to be one ...

, winningest quarterback in

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

and

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...

history *

Richard Quick Richard Walter Quick (January 31, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was the head coach of the women's swim team at Stanford University, from 1988 through 2005. He was a coach for the United States Olympic swimming team for six Olympics—1984, 1988, 1992 ...

, Auburn University swim coach and 5-time U.S. Olympic coach *

Dave Richards Sir David Gerald Richards (born 3 October 1943) was the chairman of the FA Premier League, member of the Football Association's (FA) Board, chairman of the FA's international committee, president of the European Professional Football Leagues o ...

, NFL offensive lineman * John Roach, quarterback, defensive back and punter for NFL's Green Bay Packers,

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

* Nick Rose, American football placekicker * Kyle Rote Jr., NASL soccer star, son of

Kyle Rote William Kyle Rote, Sr. (October 27, 1928 – August 15, 2002) was an American football player, a running back and receiver for eleven years in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants. He was an All-American running back at S ...

Scottie Scheffler Scott Alexander Scheffler (born June 21, 1996) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. From March to October 2022, he was World Number 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He won the 2022 Masters Tournament. Early life Sc ...

, PGA golfer, 2022 Masters champion *

Anthony Schlegel Anthony Schlegel (born March 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former linebacker. He previously served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Ohio State University from 2011 to 2015 and was the head strength and conditionin ...

, former

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for NFL's New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals * Bo Schultz, baseball pitcher *

Daniel Sepulveda Daniel Wade Sepulveda (born January 12, 1984) is a former American football punter who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL), all with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for Baylor University, earned All- ...

, two-time

Ray Guy Award The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro in the National F ...

winner, punter for Pittsburgh Steelers *

, former

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for Georgia Bulldogs, starting

for Los Angeles Rams, NFL Super Bowl Champion (2022) *

, 1948 Heisman Trophy winner,

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

and

inductee * Kyle Williams, offensive tackle for Seattle Seahawks * Chris Young, MLB pitcher for

2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Leag ...

champion Kansas City Royals

Government

* James A Baker, Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, 1995–2002. * Chris Bell, US House of Representatives, 25th Congressional District, 2003–05 *

Bill Clements William Perry Clements Jr. (April 13, 1917 – May 29, 2011) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served two non-consecutive terms as the governor of Texas between 1979 and 1991. His terms bookended the sole t ...

, Governor of Texas, 1979–83, 1987–91 * Starke Taylor, Mayor of Dallas, 1983–87, cotton investor

Other

* John Hinckley, Jr., would-be attempted assassin of President Ronald Reagan * Levi Pettit, University of Oklahoma student involved in racist chants * Trevor Rees-Jones, billionaire founder and chairman of

Chief Oil and Gas Chief Oil & Gas is a company founded in Dallas, Texas in 1994 by Trevor Rees-Jones (businessman), Trevor Rees-Jones. Its primary holdings of natural gas were developed in the core areas of the Barnett Shale in Tarrant County, Denton County and P ...

* George Seay, businessman, co-founder and CEO of Annandale Capital, philanthropist and conservative political activist

References

External links

* {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1922 Public high schools in Dallas County, Texas 1922 establishments in Texas