History
The Carrollton and Farmers Branch school districts voted to merge in 1955. Prior to that, the two cities operated separate school systems, although only Carrollton's went through the twelfth grade (Farmers Branch students had to decide in eighth grade if they wanted to attend high school in Carrollton or at Hillcrest High School in Dallas.)
The merger coincided with the beginning of 30 years of rapid growth for the two cities. At the time of the merger there were three schools operating: Carrollton Elementary (opened in 1951), Carrollton High School (opened in 1936 and now DeWitt Perry Middle School) and the original Farmers Branch Elementary School on Valley View Road. In the next decade the district built four new elementary schools – Valwood (now Montgomery) in 1955, R.E. Good in 1957, McLaughlin in 1959 and Stark in 1963. The first dedicated junior high school, Vivian Field, opened in Farmers Branch in 1959.
In 1960 the R. L. Turner High School campus was opened on Josey Lane, on the border between Carrollton and Farmers Branch. The building served as a junior high school for Carrollton students for two years and became a high school in 1962. At that point Carrollton High School was renamed for DeWitt Perry and became the district's second junior high campus.
School construction continued apace for another ten years – Central Elementary in 1965, a replacement Farmers Branch Elementary campus in 1968, Blanton Elementary in 1971, and Woodlake (now June R. Thompson) Elementary in 1973. In 1975 two more elementary schools – Country Place and Dale B. Davis – were opened. The first phase of Newman Smith High School – the district's second high school campus – was finished in 1975 as well. The campus served grades 8–12 until North Carrollton Junior High School (now Dan F. Long Middle School) opened in 1981.
With the southern half of the district now built out, growth shifted northward in the late 1970s and 1980s, with McCoy Elementary (1978), Furneaux Elementary (1981), Rosemeade Elementary (1984) and Sheffield Elementary (1985) opening to handle increased enrollment. In 1986 the first school west of Interstate 35E, Las Colinas Elementary, was opened, along with Blalack Junior High School. Kent Elementary (1989), McKamy Elementary (1992) and Rainwater Elementary (1994) were also opened. After years of searching for a suitable site, the third high school – Creekview – was opened in 1998.
In the 1990s the district decided to switch to a "middle school" concept, moving sixth graders from elementary schools to the former junior high campuses. All four existing middle schools were expanded and Ted Polk (1997) and Barbara Bush (1998) middle schools were added. Much of the latest growth has occurred on the district's west side, with Tom Landry Elementary (1996), Riverchase Elementary (1999), Ranchview High School (2002), Freeman Elementary (2003), Kelly Pre-K Center (2007) and La Villita Elementary (2008) being constructed. Rapid growth in older areas necessitated the addition of McWhorter Elementary (2000), Dave Blair Intermediate (2001) and Nancy Strickland Intermediate (2008).
Read more about this topic: De Witt Perry Middle School
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