United Independent School District is a
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 ...
headquartered in
Laredo, Texas
Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of t ...
.
History
The district was created in 1961 via the consolidation of the former Cactus, Johnson, and Nye school districts. The "Big Three" involved in the establishment of UISD were rancher Joe B. Finley, Amparo Gutierrez, and John W. Arndt, all of whom have schools named in their honor.
By the 2000s, United ISD had a rapidly growing student population due to the burgeoning populations of many
colonias along the Texas-
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
border. As of the 2000s, United ISD gains about 1,500 students per year.
On November 5, 2013, voters handily approved a $408.7 million school bond issue to acquire land, construct new schools, and expand other facilities. The tabulation in a low-turnout election was 5,148 (66.1 percent) in support and 2,643 (33.9 percent) in opposition.
In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" under the
accountability ratings system used by the
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States. .
Service area
UISD serves portions of the city of Laredo, the cities of
El Cenizo and
Rio Bravo
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
, and several unincorporated areas in
Webb County. The
census-designated places
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
include:
*
Bonanza Hills
*
Botines
''Botines'' ( es, Bounties) was a 2005 Argentine miniseries, produced by Pol-Ka. Each episode had a specific cast, and the plot was based on a real crime, either from Argentina or another country. Diego Peretti won the Martín Fierro Award and t ...
*
Colorado Acres
*
Four Points
*
Hillside Acres
*
La Coma
*
La Moca Ranch
*
La Presa
*
Las Haciendas
*
Las Pilas
Las Pilas (or El Hoyo) is a complex volcano located in the western part of Nicaragua. Part of a 30-km-long volcanic massif, Las Pilas has a series of well-preserved flank vents surrounding a central cone. Las Pilas last erupted in the 1950s and be ...
*
Laredo Ranchettes
*
Laredo Ranchettes West
*
Los Altos
*
Los Arcos
*
Los Centenarios
*
Los Corralitos
*
Los Fresnos
*
Los Huisaches
*
Los Minerales
*
Los Nopalitos
*
Los Veteranos I
*
Los Veteranos II
*
Pueblo East
*
Pueblo Nuevo
*
Ranchitos East
*
Ranchitos Las Lomas
*
Ranchos Penitas West
*
San Carlos
*
San Carlos II
*
Sunset Acres
*
Tanquecitos South Acres
*
Tanquecitos South Acres II
*
Valle Verde
It also serves
Larga Vista, now a part of Laredo.
United ISD's land area exceeds that of
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
.
Standardized dress
Students in pre-Kindergarten through 8th grades are required to follow standardized dress code provided by the district; the dress code began during the 2006-2007 school year. Since the 2007-2008 school year, high school students are also required to follow the same standardized dress code procedures as approved by the Board of Trustees.
The
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States. specified that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform; parents must specify "
bona fide
In human interactions, good faith ( la, bona fides) is a sincere intention to be fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Some Latin phrases have lost their literal meaning over centuries, but that is not the case ...
" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.
Shortly before the 2021-2022 school year, the Board of Trustees passed a "casual dress code". However, some restrictions still apply.
Schools
High schools
*
John B. Alexander High School
John B. Alexander High School is a secondary school in Laredo, Texas, United States and a part of the United Independent School District.
The mascot for Alexander High School is a Bulldog. The high school was established in 1994 to alleviate over ...
(1994)
*
Lyndon B. Johnson High School (2001)
*
United High School (1963)
*
United South High School
United South High School is a high school located in the southern portion of Laredo, Texas and is a part of the United Independent School District. It consists of over 40 school organizations, and is home to mostly students with a Hispanic ethnic ...
(1990)
*
Step Academy
Middle schools
*Antonio Gonzalez Middle School (2002)
*Clark Middle School (1978)
*George Washington Middle School (?)
*Lamar Bruni Vergara Middle School (2006)
*Los Obispos Middle School (?)
*Raul Perales Middle School (?)
*Ricardo Molina Middle School (2022)
*Salvador Garcia Middle School (1995)
*Trautmann Middle School (1996)
*United Middle School (1984)
*United South Middle School (1990)
*Elias Herrera Middle School (2020)
Elementary schools
*John W. Arndt Elementary School
*Colonel Santos Benavides Elementary School
*Freedom Elementary School
*Charles R. Borchers Elementary School, named for the former district attorney of the 49th Judicial District Court and former UISD board president
Charles Robert Borchers
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...
of Laredo
*Centeno Elementary School
*Clark Elementary School
*
Henry Cuellar
Enrique Roberto Cuellar (born September 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he is considered one of the most conservative representatives in the De ...
Elementary School
*De Llano Elementary School
*Barbara Fasken Elementary School
*Finley Elementary School
*:National Blue Ribbon School 1998-99
*Freedom Elementary School
*Bonnie L. Garcia Elementary School
*Amparo Gutierrez Elementary School
*Juarez-Lincoln Elementary School
*Kazen Elementary School
*
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
-
Emiliano Zapata Elementary School
*Killam Elementary School
*Malakoff Elementary School
*Julia Bird Jones Muller Elementary School
*Newman Elementary School
*Nye Elementary School
*Perez Elementary School
*Prada Elementary School
*Roosevelt Elementary School
*Ruiz Elementary School
*Salinas Elementary School
*Roberto J. Santos Elementary School
*Trautmann Elementary School
*Veterans Memorial Elementary School
*Senator Judith Zaffirini Elementary School
; Former school:
*United D.D. Hachar Elementary School
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
School districts in Webb County, Texas
1961 establishments in Texas