Type Public, Secondary Grades 9-12 Color(s) Burnt orange and White Principal Michelle Thompson | Faculty 130 Number of students 2,253 Phone +1 972-502-6200 Trustee dist. 1, Elizabeth Jones | |
Motto W.T. White....Where our future begins Similar Lake Highlands High Sch, Woodrow Wilson High Sch, Jesuit Dallas, Newman Smith High School, RL Turner High School | ||
Warren Travis White High School is a public secondary school in Dallas, Texas (USA). W. T. White High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District.
Contents
- History
- Campus
- School culture
- Demographics
- Service area
- Athletics
- Sports Achievements
- Notable alumni
- References
The school, named in honor of the Dallas school superintendent who served from 1946 to 1968, is located in North Dallas about a mile southwest of the Interstate 635 (LBJ Freeway) and Dallas North Tollway intersection. Parts of North Dallas are zoned to W. T. White, as well as sections of Addison, Carrollton, and Farmers Branch.
In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.
History
The school was established in 1964 and named for the superintendent then in office, Dr. Warren Travis White. The current principal is Michelle Thompson. W.T. White has a couple career oriented academies, such as the Academy of Engineering, which is run by teachers Nick Hademenos and Pat Henderson. Students in the Academy are able to utilize state of the art technology such as a laser engraver and 3D printer to create work.
Attendance Zone Map
Newsweek magazine ranked W. T. White in 2006 as one of the best public high schools in the United States.
Campus
The original school building was designed for 1,600 students. By 2015 W.T. White had over 2,300 students, which meant that the school was at 160% of its capacity. The campus had portable buildings installed to handle excess students. In 2015 the DISD board approved a $21 million renovation and expansion of the campus as part of a school improvement program worth almost $130 million; the renovation will add 39,045 square feet (3,627.4 m2) of space. WRA Architects is in charge of the project and a graduate of W.T. White is the head architect. The project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2017.
School culture
W. T. White historically had a school rivalry with Thomas Jefferson High School. David Seeley, a senior editor of the Dallas Observer, wrote in Texas Monthly that the rivalry was "at its peak" in the mid-1970s with fistfights occurring regularly at Loos Field during the homecoming games where Thomas Jefferson was playing against W.T. White; Jefferson students perceived W.T. White students as snobby while W.T. White students perceived Jefferson students as low class. By 1982 the schools no longer competed at homecoming games and they had been placed in separate athletic districts. This rivalry, however, continued into the 2010s. A 2014 vandalism incident at W.T. White involved the words "TJ" being spraypainted, but the administration of W.T. White expressed a belief that the vandals were W.T. White students.
According to Seeley, as of 1982, students from both schools frequently socialized with other high school students along Forest Lane on Fridays, and W.T. White and Thomas Jefferson had the largest numbers of students there. High school students "cruised" along Forest Lane beginning in the early 1960s.
Demographics
In 2009, the state classified almost half of White's graduates as "college ready," or ready to undergo university studies. The State of Texas defined "college readiness" by scores on the ACT and SAT and in the 11th grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests. Holly K. Hacker of The Dallas Morning News said that the rate "is higher than expected for the school where about two-thirds of students are poor or at risk of dropping out."
In 1981 82.87% of the student body consisted of Anglo Whites.
Service area
Parts of North Dallas (including portions of Preston Hollow) are zoned to W. T. White, as well as sections of Addison, Carrollton, and Farmers Branch.
Communities served as of 1967 include:
Communities served as of 1969 include:
Athletics
The W.T. White Longhorns compete in the following sports:
Sports Achievements
Football
City Championship-Dallas
1977
District Championships
1971 11-4A, 1974 11-4A, 1976 11-4A, 1977 11-4A, 1978 11-4A, 1979 11-4A, 1990 11-4A, 1994 12-4A