Wichita Falls Independent School District (WFISD) is a public

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 ...

based in

Wichita Falls Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accordin ...

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 ...

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 ...

and is accredited 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.

. Wichita Falls ISD serves most of

(including portions of

Sheppard Air Force Base Sheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most divers ...

). Varying parts of north

are included in the

City View Independent School District City View Independent School District is a public school district based in Wichita Falls, Texas ( USA). Northwestern portions of Wichita Falls are served by the district, as well as a small section of Pleasant Valley. In 2009, the school distri ...

and the

Burkburnett Independent School District Burkburnett Independent School District is a public school district based in Burkburnett, Texas, United States. The district is located in northeastern Wichita County and also serves Cashion Community and a small section of Wichita Falls. A sma ...

. The Wichita Falls ISD was one of the few Texas school districts to offer a choice program that gives parents the choice of what

secondary 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 '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

they would like their child to attend. Wichita Falls ISD ended the choice program for all schools beginning with the 2015-2016 year. Secondary schools in the WFISD offer

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

and

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

courses to students wishing to pursue a more challenging academic curriculum. The WFISD currently operates two schools with the

program, covering two segments of the program: *G.H. Kirby Math/ Science Junior High and Hirschi High School partner in offering the

Middle Years Programme The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an educational programme for students between the ages of 11 to 16 around the world as part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum. Middle Year Programme is intended to pr ...

*Hirschi High School, an IB World School, offers the

IB Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

to juniors and seniors The school district has continuously been recognized for its overall academic success from 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.

and the Magnet Schools of America Association. In 1999 and 2001 respectively, Washington/ Jackson Math/Science Center and G.H. Kirby Junior High were awarded the Ronald P. Simpson award, giving them the title of "Best

Magnet School In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

in America" for a year. The district also boasts that many of its schools have received the Texas Blue Ribbon award or have attained "Exemplary" status from the

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 northe ...

. In 2005, Hirschi High School IB World Topics teacher Sherry Lindemann was named

Teacher of the Year The National Teacher of the Year is a professional award in the United States. The program began in 1952, as a project by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and aims to reward excellence in teaching. It is sponsored by ING. S ...

where she represented the WFISD and thousands of Texas teachers at a formal ceremony held by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

in the

White House Rose Garden The White House Rose Garden is a garden bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., United States. The garden is approximately 125 feet long and 60 feet wide ( by , or about 684m²). It balances the Jacquel ...

. In 2009, the school district was rated "

academically acceptable The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

" 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.

History

In 1908 the

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ...

issued a charter for the creation of the school district.

General information

School board

:The Wichita Falls ISD is overseen by a

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

(Dr. Donny Lee), an Assistant Superintendent (Peter Griffiths), and a seven-member Board of Trustees who are elected either as

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

or district members. President of the Board of Trustees is currently Mike Rucker.

Enrollment

:There are approximately 13,309 students in grades K-12 as of October 2022.

WFISD staff

:1,923 total staff members :1,019 teachers :667 auxiliary/paraprofessional staff members. :(Wichita Falls ISD is the second largest industry in

behind

)

Teacher experience

:Average Years Experience - 12.9 years :Average Years Experience with WFISD - 10.8 years :31.9% of WFISD Teachers Have 11-20 Years Experience

Budget

:2005-2006 $88,026,794 (includes debt service, maintenance & operations, campus activity funds, special revenue funds) :Tax rate per $100 valuation: $1.56

Facilities

:20 Elementary Schools :1 Early Childhood Center :3 Junior High Schools grades 7-8 :3 High Schools grades 9-12 :1 Career & Applied Technology Center :1 Accelerated Learning Center :1 Student Adjustment Center :1 Sports Complex -

Memorial Stadium (Wichita Falls) Memorial Stadium is an American football and soccer stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas located on Southwest Parkway at Barnett Road. It is owned and operated by the Wichita Falls Independent School District. History Built in 1970, the stadium can ...

:1 Administration Center :1 Support Center

Schools

Elementary schools :Ben Milam Elementary :Brook Village Early Childhood Center :Burgess Elementary :Crockett Elementary :Cunningham Elementary :Fain Elementary :Fowler Elementary :Franklin Elementary :Haynes Northwest Academy :Jefferson Elementary :Lamar Elementary :Scotland Park Elementary :Sheppard Elementary :Southern Hills Elementary :Booker T Elementary Academy :West Foundation Elementary :Zundy Elementary

High schools

: Hirschi High School : Rider High School : Wichita Falls High School (Old High)

Alternative schools

:Carrigan Career Center :Denver Alternative Center :Harrell Accelerated Learning Center :CEC CTE Learning

Junior high schools

:Barwise Leadership Academy :Kirby World Academy :McNiel Junior High

Support staff

:Carrigan Technology Support

Defunct schools

:Reagan Junior High School – became Wichita Falls ISD Administration Building :Booker T. Washington High School (closed 1969, became Washington/Jackson Math/Science Center, name change back to Booker T. Washington in 2016) :Booker T. Washington Middle School (closed 1970) :Travis Elementary School :Austin Elementary (closed 2008) :Bonham Elementary (closed 2008) :Fannin Elementary (closed 2008) :McGaha Elementary (closed 2008) : Alamo Elementary - The ''

Times Record News ''Times Record News'' is a daily newspaper established in 1907 in Wichita Falls, Texas and owned by Gannett. From 1976 until 1997, the ''Times Record News'' was part of Harte Hanks chain, when Scripps acquired the paper. ''The Times Record ...

'' has a photograph of a class for Alamo elementary held in 1909. 1910 was officially the year it opened, the cornerstone stated 1910, and most sources stated that it opened in 1910; the structure at the time had of space. Official documents had 1919 as an opening date. It received additions in 1919, 1926, 1930, 1985, 1989, and 2009. The school received a gymnasium on the last date. Alamo closed in 2014; at the time it was the oldest school in the city. In 2016 WFISD considered demolishing the school. In 2017 the district announced that the school would not be torn down after all. R.C. Graham purchased Alamo for $101,000. Graham wanted the gymnasium was well, but the district did not sell the gymnasium to him and instead wished to retain it so it could hold district events there. Graham would have paid $106,000 for the gymnasium. : Sam Houston School - It closed in 2014. The district considered storing items there. :Barwise/A. E. Holland School/Holland Alternative School - It opened in 1921, and was originally a grade 1-8 neighborhood school named Barwise School. It was reserved for white/non-black students only until it was converted into a school for black children in 1956. It was renamed A.E. Holland while the district established another school with the name Barwise. The neighborhood school closed in 1969 and was replaced with the alternative school, which closed in 2002 for financial reasons. In 2016 WFISD considered demolishing the school. In 2017 the district announced that the school would not be torn down after all. Gold Nugget Properties purchased the property for $101,000. : Barwise Junior High : Zundelowitz Junior High : - Barwise and Zundy were combined in 2014 and renamed "Barwise Leadership Academy".

References

External links

Wichita Falls Independent School District Website
{{Authority control Education in Wichita Falls, Texas School districts in Wichita County, Texas