Grades PreK–12 Superintendent Dr. Dawson Orr Teachers 427 Number of students 6,689 Schools 7 | Established () District ID 4823250 Website www.hpisd.org Student teacher ratio 15.66 | |
 | ||
Motto "Enter to learn. Go forth to serve." | ||
Highland Park Independent School District (HPISD) is a public school district based in University Park, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Contents
- Map of Highland Park Independent School District TX USA
- History
- Academic programs
- Secondary schools
- Elementary schools
- References
Map of Highland Park Independent School District, TX, USA
HPISD serves most of the town of Highland Park, all of the city of University Park, two affluent cities, as well as portions of Dallas. HPISD administers seven schools. It is consistently ranked among the top school districts in Texas.
Residents of Dallas who are in HPISD are in two areas: one that is north of Greenbrier Drive, south of Northwest Highway, east of the Dallas North Tollway, and west of Douglas Avenue; and in an area west of Preston Road and north of Colgate Avenue. The Dallas Independent School District surrounds HPISD on all sides.
History
The Highland Park Independent School District first opened its doors in October 1914 with John S. Armstrong School, a four-room building on Cornell Avenue. Since then, the district has grown to comprise seven campuses: four elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school and one high school. The district has an enrollment of approximately 7,000 students and employs 750 people, including more than 430 teachers. University Park Elementary School was designed by famed Dallas architects, Lang & Witchell who designed the Magnolia Building and the Kirby Building downtown.
From 1914–2014, HPISD has been led by seven superintendents. Dawson Orr became the seventh and current superintendent for Highland Park Independent School District on December 1, 2009. He replaced Cathy Bryce, who retired after eight years with the district. Orr was previously superintendent in Wichita Falls, Texas and Pampa, Texas. He also was president of the Texas Association of School Administrators. Orr received the Superintendent of the Year award in 2008 from Communities in Schools and the Key Communicator of the Year award in 2005 from the Texas School Public Relations Association.
In 2009, the school district was rated "exemplary" by the Texas Education Agency.
HPISD and Highland Park High School received national attention in September 2014 for the banning of seven books previously used in high school English studies, after a group of parents protested the contents of these books. The seven books were: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein; The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler; Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; An Abundance of Katherines by John Green; The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls; and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.
Orr reversed the decision to suspend the books, stating in an email to parents, "I made the decision in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict, and I readily admit that it had the opposite effect. I take full responsibility for the decision, and I apologize for the disruption it has caused."
Academic programs
As of 2014 the district plans to establish an elementary school Spanish learning program.
Secondary schools
Elementary schools
A new elementary school, in the Dallas city limits on property formerly owned by Northway Christian Church, is scheduled to open in August 2017. Groundbreaking occurred on June 20, 2016.