Richardson Independent School District (RISD) is a school district based in
Richardson, Texas
Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 119,469. Richardson is an inner suburb of the city of Dallas.
It is home to the University of ...
(
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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
).
RISD covers and serves the city of Richardson and portions of the cities 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 ...
and
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 ...
(60 percent of RISD is in
North Dallas, with 35 percent in Richardson and 5 percent in Garland). RISD operates 55 campuses that serve more than 39,000 students. Including administration and support, RISD maintains 70 facilities covering more than with of grounds.
In 2011, the school district was rated "
recognized" 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. .
A majority of RISD is located in Dallas. Two portions of North Dallas are in Richardson ISD: One is north of
Interstate 635, between Coit Road and Preston Road, and south of the Collin-Dallas county line; the other is the portion of
Lake Highlands
Lake Highlands is a neighborhood constituting most of Northeast Dallas. The neighborhood is a collection of dozens of subdivisions served by Richardson ISD and Dallas ISD public schools, as well as an array of private schools.
Geography
Overview ...
east of White Rock Creek and north of the
Northwest Highway.
[Live in Dallas (But Don’t Use Its Schools)]
Archive
. ''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 ''Galvesto ...
''. Retrieved on March 8, 2016. These areas, annexed into the City of Dallas after 1960, are generally high income.
[Hanson, Royce. ''Civic Culture and Urban Change: Governing Dallas''. ]Wayne State University Press
Wayne State University Press (or WSU Press) is a university press that is part of Wayne State University. It publishes under its own name and also the imprints
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), ...
, April 1, 2003. , 9780814337479. p
82
History
The district was founded in 1854. At the time it provided education for children of local farmers, small business owners and settlers around the railroad just outside
Dallas, TX
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...
. In recent times RISD has been rated as "Recognized" by the Texas Education Agency for many years in a row. RISD is the largest, most racially and socioeconomically diverse district in Texas to receive a rating this high. In 2010 the Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC) added 22 RISD schools to the TBEC Honor Roll. RISD and
Houston ISD
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...
leads the state in schools named to the Honor Roll. Only 252 public schools out of 8,000 in Texas were named to the TBEC Honor Roll, placing those 22 RISD schools in the top 4% of Texas public schools.
In 2007 a report stated that, due to new development and older residents, certain areas of RISD faced student decreases. The removal of some low income apartment complexes contributed to the losses.
In 2021 Richardson ISD implemented a mask mandate during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Texas
The COVID-19 pandemic in Texas is a part of the ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The state of Texas confirmed its ...
and kept it in place even when the
Texas Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court of ...
upheld
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...
Greg Abbott
Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 50th Tex ...
's ban on mask mandates.
Demographics
In 1997, over 50% of the students were non-Hispanic white.
In a period until 2009, Richardson ISD's student body transitioned from a mostly white and affluent student body to a racially and socioeconomically diverse student body. In 2009 the State of Texas defined "college readiness," or readiness to undergo university studies, of high school graduates by scores on the
ACT and
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 ...
and in the 11th grade
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) was the fourth Texas state standardized test previously used in grade 3-8 and grade 9-11 to assess students' attainment of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies skills required ...
(TAKS) tests. During that year the district's high schools consistently had high college readiness rates. Holly K. Hacker of ''
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 ''Galvesto ...
'' said that "Richardson school district leaders credit the strong showing at their high schools to attitude -- a refusal to accept poor performance based on changing demographics."
[Hacker, Holly K.]
Analysis shows true Texas high school performance, stripping away socioeconomic factors
" ''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 ''Galvesto ...
''. September 3, 2011. Retrieved on February 10, 2012. From 1997 to 2016
the number of non-Hispanic white students had declined by 44%, the least severe decline of the four major suburban Dallas County school districts that were majority white in 1997.
[
From 1997 to 2016 the number of students on free or reduced lunches, a way of determining low income status, increased by 131%, the least severe increase of those four districts.][
]
Secondary schools
High schools
* Lloyd V. Berkner High School (Richardson)
**1988-89 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, ...
Lake Highlands High School
Lake Highlands High School (LHHS) is a secondary school serving grades 9-12 in the Lake Highlands area of northeastern Dallas, Texas, United States, primarily serving the Lake Highlands community. The school is part of the Richardson Independent Sc ...
(Dallas)
**2001-02 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, ...
J.J. Pearce High School
J. J. Pearce High School is a high school located in Richardson, Texas, United States. It is named after Joseph Jones “J.J.” Pearce, the superintendent for the Richardson Independent School District (RISD) from 1946 to 1977. In 2018, it had an ...
(Richardson)
**1988-1989 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, ...
Richardson High School
Richardson High School (RHS) is a magnet high school in Richardson, Texas, United States with approximately 2,770 students and a student/teacher ratio of approximately 15:1 in the 20182019 school year. It is the oldest high school in the Richardso ...
(Richardson)
**1983-84 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, ...
Junior high schools
* Apollo Junior High School (Richardson)
*Forest Meadow Junior High School (Dallas)
**1994-96 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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
Primary schools
*Aikin Elementary School (Dallas)
*Arapaho Classical Magnet School (Richardson)
*Audelia Creek Elementary School (Dallas)
*Big Springs Elementary School (Garland)
**1987-88 and 2008 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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
[Nicholson, Eric.]
Lake Highlands Finds the Secret to Great Public Schools: Getting Rid of Poor Kids
" ''Dallas Observer
''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...
''. Monday May 16, 2016. Retrieved on May 24, 2016.
*Northrich Elementary School
*Northwood Hills Elementary School (Dallas)
*O. Henry Elementary School (Garland)
*Prairie Creek Elementary School (Richardson)
**2003 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, ...
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, ...
[
**The Burmese students began arriving around 2010. Many of the Burmese students originated from ]refugee camps
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peop ...
in Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.[Fancher, Julie.]
Not your typical spring break: Richardson educators travel to refugee camp to see where their students come from
. ''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 ''Galvesto ...
''. March 28, 2016. Retrieved on May 25, 2016. In 2010 there were 30 Burmese students, and the school hired a part-time liaison, a refugee named Juna Paw, to assist them. In 2011 a larger group of refugees moved from another apartment complex into one in the Richardson ISD district and the Wallace Elementary attendance boundary. The students spoke Chin, Karen
Karen may refer to:
* Karen (name), a given name and surname
* Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors
People
* Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand
** Karen languages or Karenic l ...
, and Karenni
Karenni may refer to:
* Karenni people
* Karenni language
* Karenni State, former name of Kayah State, Myanmar
* Karenni States
The Karenni States, also known as Red Karen States, was the name formerly given to the states inhabited mainly by ...
. In the fall of 2011 there were 96 Burmese students at Wallace Elementary, making up around 16% of the student population. The increase meant that Paw became a full-time employee, an additional English as a second language
English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...
instructor was hired, and that additional morning tutoring was established for the Burmese.[Weiss, Jeffrey.]
Richardson ISD welcomes Burmese refugees
Archive
. ''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 ''Galvesto ...
''. January 1, 2012. Retrieved on May 25, 2016. The teachers at Wallace began cooperating with area churches, which held summer tutoring. By 2013 20% of the school's students were Burmese. By 2016 about 200 of the students, almost 25% of the student body, were Burmese.[
*White Rock Elementary School (Dallas)
**White Rock Elementary originally was a mostly-White school that its employees described, in the words of ]Laura Miller
Laura Miller (born November 18, 1958) is an American journalist and politician who served as the 58th mayor of Dallas, Texas from 2002 through 2007. She decided not to run for re-election in 2007. She was the third woman to serve as mayor of Da ...
, then working for ''D Magazine
''D Magazine'' is a monthly magazine covering Dallas–Fort Worth. It is headquartered in Downtown Dallas.
''D Magazine'' covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion and lifestyle in the city of Dallas. The first iss ...
'', as the "Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...
of neighborhood schools".[ Miller, Laura.]
METROPOLIS THE "APARTMENT KIDS" AND A BEAVER CLEAVER SCHOOL
" ''D Magazine
''D Magazine'' is a monthly magazine covering Dallas–Fort Worth. It is headquartered in Downtown Dallas.
''D Magazine'' covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion and lifestyle in the city of Dallas. The first iss ...
''. January 1990. Retrieved on May 24, 2016. By 1990 the addition of children living in apartments to the school caused the demographics to become more heavily minority and poor. In 1989 the school had 500 students. That year the number of ethnic minority students rose from 25 to 130. Due to the Fair Housing Act of 1988 apartments could no longer deny families with children as tenants.[ However its student body was still more affluent than those of surrounding schools.][
**The construction of Lake Highlands Town Center on the site of demolished apartments meant that the number of low income and minority students declined and the test scores improved: in the 2005-2006 school year, there were 270 low income students, making up 44% of the student body, and there were 205 black students, and 110 Hispanic students; 87% of the students passed Texas standardized tests, and 24% were ranked as "commended" on these tests. There were 620 total students in 2006. The student body immediately declined after the demolition of the apartments. In 2009-2010 the school had 96 low income students, making up 17% of the student body, and there were 68 Hispanic students and 68 black students; 97% of students passed state tests, the highest percentage of any RISD school, and 57% reached commended. The number of high income white students increased significantly after the apartments were demolished.][
**By the late aughts the popularity of the school caused it to be overcrowded with students, starting a political issue on whether to build a new school. There were 630 students by 2012, and then around 2014 there were 800 students. RISD had added classrooms that year, giving the school a capacity of 912, but the district projected that in 2017 the school would need to have portable classrooms as there still would be too many students. Eric Nicholson of '']D Magazine
''D Magazine'' is a monthly magazine covering Dallas–Fort Worth. It is headquartered in Downtown Dallas.
''D Magazine'' covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion and lifestyle in the city of Dallas. The first iss ...
'' wrote "Whether White Rock Elementary actually got better at educating students is a trickier question" since on one hand having too high poverty levels in any school can damage student performance, but also that the "strongest single predictor of student achievement" is socioeconomic status; however he added that the area real estate market perceived White Rock as having improved, and therefore house values rose.[
*White Rock Trail Elementary School (Dallas)
** Planning to open in August 2018][Toler, Carol.]
RISD trustees: K-6 for new school on White Rock Trail
" '' Lake Highlands Advocate''. June 21, 2016. Retrieved on August 25, 2016.
*Yale Elementary School (Richardson)
**2006 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, ...
Former schools
Former secondary schools
*Northwood Junior High School (Closed in 1988; now houses RISD Academy)
*Richardson Junior High School (Closed in 2007; now houses Math/Science/Technology Magnet Elementary School)
See also
*List of school districts in Texas
This is a list of school districts in Texas, sorted by Region and County.
Geographical school districts in Texas are (with one exception, the Stafford Municipal School District) completely independent from city or county jurisdiction.
Texas sch ...
*KRET-TV
KRET-TV, UHF analog channel 23, was an educational television station licensed to Richardson, Texas, United States, which was on the air from 1960 to 1970. Owned by the Richardson Independent School District, it was the first broadcast TV stati ...
(station owned by the Richardson ISD from 1960 to 1970)
* Diane Patrick, member of the Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
from Arlington and former teacher in the Richardson district
External links
*
Richardson ISD facebook pageRichardson ISD Twitter pageRichardson ISD Youtube Channel
References
{{Navboxes
, list =
{{Dallas
{{Garland, Texas
School districts in Dallas County, Texas
School districts in Dallas
Richardson, Texas