Arlington Heights High School

Arlington Heights High School
Address
4501 West Freeway
Fort Worth, Texas, 76107
United States
Coordinates 32°43′55″N 97°23′9″W / 32.73194°N 97.38583°WCoordinates: 32°43′55″N 97°23′9″W / 32.73194°N 97.38583°W
Information
School type Public secondary
Established 1922[1]
School district Fort Worth Independent School District
Principal Sara Weeks
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 1,800
Campus Urban
Color(s) Royal Blue and Gold          
Athletics conference University Interscholastic League
Nickname Yellow Jackets
Newspaper Jacket Journal
Website School Website

Arlington Heights High School is a secondary school located in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Fort Worth Independent School District. The school mascot is the Yellow Jacket and the school colors are blue and gold.

Arlington Heights High School serves western portions of Fort Worth including the Como Arlington Heights, Ridglea, Meadows West,[2] and Rivercrest neighborhoods and the City of Westover Hills.[3] As of 1996 some students are bussed in from the Butler subsidized housing in Downtown Fort Worth and some communities in southeast Fort Worth with racial and ethnic minority groups.[2]

Hollace Weiner of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said in 1996 that the school was "A scholastically touted institution that draws students from private schools[...]"[2]

History

Arlington Heights High School was established in 1922 and hosted 715 students in its inaugural year. The current building was built in 1937. Originally, students from this area attended Stripling High School in the 1920s, which is now a feeder middle school.

At that time, students at Heights were referred to as 'teasippers', a nickname Texas A&M Aggies used to call Texas Longhorns because UT students were more likely to be doctors and lawyers, while Aggies were more likely to go into ranching and related fields. Heights was generally wealthy and white until the late 1960s, hosting many children of notable citizens of Fort Worth such as the Belknaps and Dickeys, as well as Governor Connally's children. African American students attended Como High School, which no longer exists and was merged with Arlington Heights at its closing. Students at Arlington Heights referred to their school as 'the hill' because it sat up higher than the surrounding area at the time.

Arlington Heights has had a rich tradition throughout the years. By the 1950s, the Allied Youth Club was the largest chapter in the world with a membership of over 800. This club was intended to teach the facts about alcohol and making wise decisions about its consumption.

Despite the school's reputation as an academically solid school, in 1995 the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) standardized test mathematics scores among Black and Hispanic students were low. 32% of Hispanic students and 28% of black students passed the mathematics test. 33% of students labeled economically disadvantaged passed. In 1996 the scores among low income students and racial and ethnic minorities were also low, and the school was labeled low performing as a result; state law required a passing rate of 30% in each and every category, or else the school eceived a "low performing" status. In 1996, on the TAKS mathematics portion, 78% of White Anglo students passed, 29% of Hispanic students passed, and 23% of the Black students passed. Of the students labeled economically disadvantaged, 28% passed. In 1996 other scores were above the 30% threshold. In reading, 93% of White Anglos, 48% of Blacks, and 47% of Hispanics passed, and 50% of low income students passed. In writing, 96% of whites passed, 71% of blacks passed, and 57% of Hispanics passed. 64% of low income students passed writing.[2]

School layout

Arlington Heights Yellow Jacket

The school occupies a red brick building that is visible from Interstate 30 (West Freeway).[2]

The main building houses 74 classrooms, a library, band hall, auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, workrooms and administrative offices. Outside buildings include a second gymnasium, field houses with concessions stands, and a weight room. The new wing opened in the fall of 2004 and houses six classrooms and a state of the art dance studio. The surrounding grounds are covered with tennis courts, baseball, softball, a unique multi-purpose athletic facility, soccer and football fields and an all-weather track which is open to public use.

Student body

In 1996, about 1,500 students attended the school. 61% were White Anglo, 21% were Hispanic, and 16% were Black. 15% of the students were low income.[2]

School organizations

Notable alumni

Notable attendees that did not graduate

Feeder patterns

Elementary schools

Middle schools

Rivalries

References

  1. ↑ "Arlington Heights High School" (ENGLISH). Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Weiner, Hollace. "Low scores at Arlington Heights called no surprise." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Monday August 5, 1996. 9 Metro. Retrieved on December 12, 2011.
  3. ↑ Kennedy, Bud. "Teens' talk turns to tales of hate and killing." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Thursday March 26, 1992. 2 News. Retrieved on December 12, 2011. "News central: Millionaires and wealthy families live in Westover Hills and the Rivercrest neighborhood, and their children go to Arlington Heights High."
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Arlington Heights Yearbook
  5. ↑ "Getting his due Coast Guard hero receives honor posthumously". Fort Worth Star Telegram. 17 September 2000. Retrieved 2011-12-02. (subscription required.
  6. ↑ Turner Gill Official High School Football Statistics, Arlington Heights Yearbook
  7. ↑ Texas High School Monthly, Fall 2008

External links