Mesquite Independent School District

Mesquite Independent School District
Location
3819 Towne Crossing Boulevard, Mesquite, TX, 75150
United States of America
District information
TypePublic
Motto“Quest For Excellence"
GradesPK - 12
Established1901 (1901)
SuperintendentDr. Ángel Rivera
Asst. superintendent(s)Dr. Janine Fields, Dr. Jennifer Hammett, Dr. Leslie Feinglas, Dr. Andrea Hensley, Taylor Morris, Gilbert Prado, Laura Jobe.
Schools52
Students and staff
Students38,378 (2020-21)
Teachers2,646 (2020-21)
Student–teacher ratio14.5 (2020-21)
Other information
Websitewww.mesquiteisd.org

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 Sunnyvale) which follows the standard definition of an independent school district.

The district contains over 38,000 students. There are five main high schools; one is classified as 6A in UIL, and the other four are class 5A. As of March 8, 2022, the superintendent is Dr. Ángel Rivera.[1]

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 [2]) and E. H. Hanby Stadium, which is located adjacent to Mesquite High School.

In 2009, the school district was rated "Recognized" by the Texas Education Agency.

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.[3]

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%.[3]

Boundary

The district, in Dallas County, includes most of Mesquite and portions of Balch Springs, Dallas, Garland, and Seagoville.[4]

Before 2009, Sunnyvale Independent School District sent high school students to North Mesquite High School in MISD.[5]

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 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 wrote in 2009 that "The district is well-known for its conservative standards for dress".[6] In the 1970s the district sent a boy home from school because his hair touched his collar. This caused national attention.[6]

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 [7]

List of schools

Secondary schools

High schools (Grade 9-12)
School Name Established UIL Additional Information
Dr. John D. Horn High School 2000 A6
Poteet High School 1986 A5
West Mesquite High School 1984 A5
Mesquite High School 1902 A5
North Mesquite High School 1969 A5
Vanguard High School 2021 A5
R. S. Kimbrough Middle School
Middle Schools (Grade 6-8)
School Name Location Year Opened Additional Information
Agnew Middle School Mesquite
Kimbrough Middle School Fall 1993
Terry Middle School 2006
Woolley Middle School 2020
Berry Middle School 1997
McDonald Middle School 1972
Vanston Middle School 1959
Lanny Frasier Middle School 2018
A.C. New Middle School Balch Springs
Wilkinson Middle School Mesquite
Elementary Schools (Grade PreK-5)
School name Location Grade Level Year Opened Additional Information
Achziger Elementary School Mesquite 2008
Black Elementary School
J.H Florence Elementary School
Gentry Elementary School 2003
Henrie Elementary School Dallas August 2015
Lawrence Elementary School Mesquite 1967
Ferd Arthur McWhorter Elementary School
Pirrung Elementary School 1987
I.N Range Elementary School 1962
Seabourn Elementary School 1966
B.J. Smith Elementary School 1998
Tosch Elementary 1966
J.C. Austin Elementary 1989
J.C. Cannaday Elementary School 1986
Walter E. Floyd Elementary School Balch Springs 1977
W.O. Gray Elementary School August 11, 1999
Ed Hodges Elementary School 1964
Mackey Elementary School Mesquite 2003
Moss Elementary School Fall 1992
G.R Moss Elementary School 1982 National Blue Ribbon School
J.C. Rugel Elementary School 1965
Shands Elementary School
Jay R. Thompson Elementary School 1966
Beasley Elementary School 1981
Ben & Jo Ann Cross Elementary School August 2023
Bedford Galloway Elementary 1963
John L. Hanby Elementary School 2001
Hanby Elementary School 1985
E.S. McKenzie Elementary School 1979
Motley Elementary School 1962
Price Elementary School Garland
Motley Elementary School Mesquite 1962
Sam Rutherford Elementary School 1965
Ruby Shaw Elementary School 1982
Ben F. Tisinger Elementary
C. W. Beasley Elementary School
Other
Name Year Opened Additional Information
The Learning Center Disciplinary Alternative Education Program[8]
Mesquite Academy 1993 Middle Schools & High Schools
KEOM 88.5 FM September 4, 1984 Broadcast Radio
Education Foundation 2004 Non-Profit
Family and Community Engagement
Mesquite Hall of Honor 2018
Read Play Talk child's development

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Leadership Team - Mesquite ISD 2022". www.mesquiteisd.org. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ Stevenson, Stefan (July 19, 2017). "How big are Texas' high school football stadiums? 10,000 doesn't crack to the top 50". Star Telegram. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Nicholson, Eric (May 3, 2016). "In Dallas, White Flight Never Ends". Dallas Observer. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  4. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Dallas County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2024. - Text list
  5. ↑ Korosec, Thomas (March 2012). "Sunnyvale: The Whitest Town in North Texas". D Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Holloway, Karel (December 16, 2009), "Pre-K student, Mesquite ISD tangled up in dress code fight over hair", Dallas News, archived from the original on March 5, 2016, retrieved December 18, 2009
  7. ↑ Leszcynski, Ray (August 30, 2014). "Mesquite schools' KEOM-FM radio is a power in wattage and education". Dallas News. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  8. ↑ Center, The Learning. "The Learning Center". learningcenter.mesquiteisd.org. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
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