Plano Independent School District

Plano ISD has an educational structure that differs from the typical U.S. educational pattern. Primary education in PISD, following the typical U.S. structure, consists of 44 elementary schools that serve the kindergarten through fifth grades. However, PISD's system of secondary education consists of 13 middle schools that serve the sixth through eighth grades, 6 'high schools' that serve the ninth and tenth grades, and 3 'senior high schools' that serve the eleventh and twelfth grades. The 'high school' and 'senior high school' system is a departure from the standard U.S. high school that serves the ninth through twelfth grades.

PISD students attend schools based primarily on the geographic location of their homes. Schools of a lower level feed into specific schools at the next highest level. The three exceptions to the feeder system is for students wishing to participate in the International Baccalaureate program, the Health Sciences Academy, or the STEAM Academy. Parents of students may also request transfers out of their students' assigned schools for various reasons (such as to take classes unique to a particular school).

This system leads to very large graduating classes and overall student populations. At Plano Senior High School, Plano East Senior High School, and Plano West Senior High School, the current student populations are listed as 2,567, 2,795, and 2,160 students, respectively. Each year's graduating class is approximately half of each number. Previous years' Graduation Commencement Ceremonies have taken place at Ford Center and the Dallas Convention Center.

All three of PISD's senior high schools were recently listed in the top 250 of Newsweek's list of 1000 top high schools in America.[14] In the 2012 list, Plano West Senior High School was ranked as 63rd in the country, Plano Senior High School was ranked 108th, and Plano East Senior High School was ranked 243rd.[14] In 2011, Plano West Senior High had been ranked 98 on Newsweek's "America's Best High Schools," and Plano East Senior High had been ranked 461.[15] Plano ISD schools reportedly administer more Advanced Placement tests than any other school district west of the Mississippi River.

Plano ISD opened three academies (4-year high schools) in the 2013–2014 school year. The first "Academy High School", a STEAM, project based, high school that serves grades 9–12.[16]

The second magnet focuses on Health science, and is housed at Williams High School for grades 9–10, and will continue at Plano East Senior High School for grades 11–12.[16]

Additionally, the district has modified its existing International Baccalaureate program so that all four grades will be housed at Plano East Senior High as a "school within a school".[16]

The mean SAT score (math plus reading) for the district is 1152 out of 1600, and the mean ACT (test) composite score is 25.7, with 83.5% of district students taking the SAT or ACT.[17] 43.4% of district students take AP or IB courses, and 84.3% of those students pass their AP or IB exam(s).[17] Plano ISD offers all AP courses except AP Italian Language and Culture and AP Japanese Language and Culture to students.[18]

In the 2012–2013 school year, Plano ISD had 128 students named National Merit Semifinalists, more than any other Texas school district.[19][20] Also in the 2012–2013 school year, ten PISD students were named semifinalists in the Siemens Competition, and two were named as finalists.[21] In the state of Texas, a total of thirty eight and eleven students, respectively, captured those honors in the Siemens competition.[21] In the 2011–2012 school year, 76 students were selected as All-state musicians.[22]

In the 1990s Plano ISD received many non-Hispanic white families leaving urban areas. However this changed in the period from 1997 to 2015 as the number of non-Hispanic white children in Plano ISD declined by 10,000.[24]

In 1991 Plano ISD began a Chinese bilingual program for preschool and kindergarten students developed by Donna Lam. It is one of two Chinese bilingual programs in the State of Texas, along with the one established by the Austin Independent School District. It was established after Chinese professionals began to settle Plano.[25]

On the December 9, 2005, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, as part of his "War on Christmas" segment, news commentator, Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that the district had banned students from wearing red and green clothing "because they were Christmas colors." An attorney from the school district requested a retraction. O'Reilly later retracted his allegation on 20 December. O'Reilly had mistakenly included clothing among the items banned by PISD, while the ongoing lawsuit against the district only alleges the banning of the distribution of written religious materials.

That lawsuit was originally filed against PISD on December 15, 2004 (Jonathan Morgan, et al., v. the Plano Independent School District, et al.). On December 16, 2004, prior to the school "winter parties, Judge Paul Brown of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a Temporary Restraining Order, requiring PISD to lift these restrictions. The Morgan, et al., v. Plano Independent School District (PISD) case began in 2003, with school officials even banning students from using red and green napkins and paper plates to a school-sponsored "holiday" party.

In another more serious legal dispute, Plano ISD was found to have violated First Amendment rights of parents during public meetings about the implementation of a controversial new math curriculum, "Connected Math". During several years of appeals by PISD, the ruling was consistently upheld at all levels, including the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (in July 2003). The district briefly considered an appeal to the United States Supreme Court, but instead reached a settlement of US$400,000. It is important to note that this was a settlement of the judgment, not the ruling of a First Amendment rights violation by the district.[26]

The most recent Federal lawsuit against PISD was filed in March 2006, by a religious group, Students Witnessing Absolute Truth (SWAT), alleging religious discrimination. In a Decision of the US District Court granting a preliminary injunction against Plano ISD, the judge said, part, "The issue in this case is not one of sponsorship or the lack thereof, but of the flagrant denial for equal access guaranteed to S.W.A.T. ... The harm at issue is irreparable because it inhibits the exercise of Plaintiff's First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion." On April 26, 2006, Plano ISD offered, and SWAT accepted, an Offer of Settlement, which included the district's promise to change its discriminatory policy.

In November 2010, following a complaint by the parents of a student, the Plano ISD textbook board decided to remove the textbook, Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities: Alternative Volume,[27] from its Humanities curriculum because the illustrations of works of art included nudity and various sex acts. After a public outcry, the decision was reversed within days.[28]

On March 2, 2021, PISD became the subject of criticism due to its response to the racially motivated assault of an eighth-grade student of Haggard Middle School[29] at the hands of his classmates during a "non-school-related, off-campus" event.[30][31] The victim stated that he was forced to drink urine and shot at with a BB gun,[32] while social media posts allege racist and homophobic abuse.[31]

On February 18, 2022, a walkout was staged at Plano East Senior High School, protesting the administrative conduct of the school in an incident involving sexual harassment.[33] No incidents were reported during the demonstration, and PISD officials have not yet acknowledged the incident.

Each household in Plano ISD is zoned to an elementary school, a middle school, a high school, and a senior high school. High schools serve grades 9–10 while senior high schools serve grades 11–12; however, any 9th or 10th grader is eligible to participate in extracurricular sports at the senior high level. There are 67 schools: 44 elementary schools, 13 middles schools, 6 high schools, 3 senior high schools, and 1 alternative STEM-based high school, Plano ISD Academy High School. Out of the 67 schools, 55 are located within the city of Plano. There are 4 schools in both Murphy and Richardson, 3 schools are in North Dallas, and 1 school in Allen.[34]

High schools (grades 9-12)

Plano Senior High School

Plano East Senior High School

Plano West Senior High School

• 3-4 elementary schools feed into a middle school
  • Note that Wilson Middle School takes students from 4 different elementary schools and half of the 5th graders from Jackson Elementary.
• 2-3 middle schools feed into a high school
• 2 high schools feed into a senior high school[47]

The District has had its feeder-school boundary lines redrawn at times in the recent past:

In 2009, the development of more schools in Plano's eastern region, as well as more students attending them, reignited a boundary-line debate. Certain issues, such as socio-economic integration and ethnic balance in the schools, became points of intense discussion that became very publicized and heated. Distance from McMillen and Williams also caused debate against the socioeconomic balance. Eventually, it was settled with mixed socioeconomic and ethnic balance between the two high schools.[48] The following year, the School Board settled the debate so as to affect feeder schools going into Plano West: due to the high student populations of Plano and Plano East as compared to the lower population of Plano West, two of the most populated high schools were approved to feed into Plano West, and Schimelpfenig Middle School students could choose between two tracks, leading either to Plano Senior or Plano West.[48] However, this prompted some parents to be concerned about possible future overcrowding at Plano West. In 2011, the School Board agreed to tweak their plan to ease worries about Plano West overcrowding: Schimelpfenig Middle School students would not be allowed to choose tracks, but instead would all go to Clark High and then Plano Senior High, with the option to transfer.[49]

In 2016, the enrollment boundaries for Mendenhall, Aldridge, and Brinker Elementary Schools were redrawn so as to allow smoother transitions into their appropriate feeder schools.[50]

• List of school districts in Texas

• Official website

1. ^ Kantrowitz, Barbara. "The 1000 Best High Schools in America." Newsweek. 16 May 2005. Accessed 10 December 2005.
2. ^ "'Red & Green Clothing Ban' False Rumor". PISD.edu. 12 December 2005. Accessed 25 December 2005.
3. ^ Breen, Kim. "O'Reilly: I made mistake". The Dallas Morning News. 21 December 2005. Accessed 25 December 2005.
4. ^ "Know Your School District: Plano ISD". Plano Independent School District. Archived from the original on 12 July 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2006.
5. ^ "Intra-District Transfers: Plano ISD". Plano Independent School District. Archived from the original on 10 July 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2006.
6. ^ "International Baccalaureate: Plano ISD". Plano Independent School District. Archived from the original on 9 July 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2006.