The Mesquite Independent School District is a school district in

Mesquite Mesquite is a common name for several plants in the genus '' Prosopis'', which contains over 40 species of small leguminous trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas. They have extremely long roots to seek water from very far under gr ...

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 ...

( USA) (incorporating most of Mesquite and portions of Balch Springs,

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 ...

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 ...

, and Seagoville, as well as formerly serving all high school students of Sunnyvale) which follows the standard definition of an independent school district. The district contains over 35,000 students. There are five main high schools, Three of which are AAAAAA (or 6A, the highest in a system of Texas school size classification). As of July 1, 2015, the superintendent is Dr. David Vroonland. All houses and residential areas in Mesquite ISD are each assigned to an elementary school (Pre-K-5 or K-5), a middle school (6-8), and a high school (9-12). In addition, the MISD operates two high school football facilities for its high schools, Memorial Stadium near West Mesquite High School (which is the largest high-school football stadium in Texas, seating nearly 20,000 ) and

E. H. Hanby Stadium The Mesquite Independent School District is a school district in Mesquite, Texas ( USA) (incorporating most of Mesquite and portions of Balch Springs, Dallas, Garland, and Seagoville, as well as formerly serving all high school students of Sun ...

, which is located adjacent to Mesquite High School. In 2009, 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.

Demographics

In 1997, 70.6% of the students were non-Hispanic white; of the four large suburban majority-white suburban school districts in the county, MISD had the highest percentage of white students. From that year to 2016 the number had declined by 68%, making it the most severe decline of the four districts. From 1997 to 2016 the number of students on free or reduced lunches, a way of classifying a student as low income, increased by 266%.

Standardized dress and dress codes

The district has implemented standardized dress (similar to a school uniform) for middle and high school students, which started with the 2005 to 2006 school year. The districtwide dress code also dictates

hair length Long hair is a hairstyle where the head hair is allowed to grow to a considerable length. Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in some culture ...

and acceptable hair styles of male students. It was one of the first Dallas-area school districts to implement a formal dress code, and Karel Holloway 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 '' Galvest ...

'' wrote in 2009 that "The district is well-known for its conservative standards for dress". In the 1970s the district sent a boy home from school because his hair touched his collar. This caused national attention.

Radio station KEOM 88.5

Mesquite ISD operates an FM radio station called KEOM 88.5. This is the largest student radio station in the nation

List of schools

Secondary schools

High schools

UIL 6A Schools
:* Mesquite High School :* Dr. John D. Horn High School :* Vanguard High School UIL 5A Schools
:*

North Mesquite High School North Mesquite High School is a secondary school in Mesquite, Texas and a part of the Mesquite Independent School District (MISD). As of 2022, the school serves northern portions of Mesquite and the MISD portion of Garland. Formerly, North Mesquit ...

West Mesquite High School West Mesquite High School is a high school in Mesquite, Texas, United States. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Mesquite Independent School District. The school serves the western portion of Mesquite and most of the ...

:* Dr. Ralph H. Poteet High School

Middle schools

Grades 6-8 9 in Mesquite, 1 in Balch Springs :*A. C. New Middle School ( Balch Springs) :*Frank B. Agnew Middle School :*Judge Frank Berry Middle School :*Dr. James P. Terry Middle School :*Lanny Frasier Middle School :*R. S. Kimbrough Middle School :*T. H. McDonald Middle School :*Ed F. Vanston Middle School :*Walter L. Wilkinson Middle School :*Dr. Don P. Woolley Middle School

Elementary schools

27 in Mesquite, 4 in Balch Springs, 1 in Garland, 1 in Dallas
Grades PreK-5
:*Don Achziger Elementary School :*Walter E. Floyd Elementary School ( Balch Springs) :*W. O. Gray Elementary School ( Balch Springs) :*John L. Hanby Elementary School :*Ed Hodges Elementary School ( Balch Springs) :*Sue Ann Mackey Elementary School ( Balch Springs) :*Ferd A. McWhorter Elementary School :*Ben F. Tisinger Elementary School :*Dr. Joey Pirrung Elementary School :*J. H. Florence Elementary School :*Bedford Galloway Elementary School :*Zack Motley Elementary School :*G. R. Porter Elementary School :*S. M. Seabourn Elementary School :*Bonnie Gentry Elementary School Grades K-5
:*J. C. Austin Elementary School :*C. W. Beasley Elementary School :*Florence Black Elementary School :*Dr. J. C. Cannaday Elementary School :*Dr. Linda Henrie Elementary School (

) :*Georgia W. Kimball Elementary School :*Joe Lawrence Elementary School :*E.S. McKenzie Elementary School :*Mary L. Moss Elementary School (1996-97

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, ...

Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002 (PDF)
) :*Vernon Price Elementary School (

) :*I. N. Range Elementary School :*J. C. Rugel Elementary School :*Sam Rutherford Elementary School :*Elsie Shands Elementary School :*Ruby Shaw Elementary School :*B. J. Smith Elementary School :*Jay Thompson Elementary School :*Charles A. Tosch Elementary School

Other

2 in Mesquite :*Mesquite Academy, K-12 alternative school :*Mesquite Learning Center, K-12 Intervention Center for MIC and Challenge

References

External links

*
Mesquite ISD Education FoundationNeighborhood Park Initiative
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