Traveling Through the Years
with the United ISD
1962-Present

In the spring of 1961, trustees from three tiny common school districts in Webb County met for the purpose of consolidating into one district. The three common districts operating at that time were Cactus - located 28 miles north of Laredo on the Callaghan Ranch, Johnson – located in south Laredo on the Zapata Highway, and Nye, originally located on the south end of Santa Maria Avenue that became Del Mar Boulevard in 1959.  Two other county schools had already merged with Cactus – Webb in 1945 and Prairie View in 1959.

The 1961-62 school year was the first for U.I.S.D. with grades one through nine and an enrollment of 341 students.  The district’s first graduation class was the Class of ’65.  This fall, over 37,800 students are enrolled in grades pre-kindergarten (PK) through twelfth (12^th) grade.

United Independent School District gained national attention in the fall of 1963, when United Junior/Senior High School, the first underground school in the nation, opened with grades six through eleven.  The underground classrooms were designed to double as community shelters in the event of an atomic war and served as a model for over 300 schools across the nation. The underground classrooms were more economical to heat and cool. Nationally acclaimed, the school received a citation from the Department of Defense. 

United Independent School District again made headlines in June of 1964.  At that time, state law prohibited students from speaking Spanish at school.  Members of the UISD Board of Trustees and the administration met with Texas Education Agency (TEA) officials and professors of the Foreign Language Department at the University of Texas to design and implement a pioneer bilingual program in the first grade.  UISD was one of the first districts in the nation to teach Spanish speakers English and English speakers Spanish.  Also, for the first time, Texas students were permitted to use their native language on the school grounds and in the classroom.  The program was the subject of many articles in state and national publications.

During the many years that followed, UISD opened numerous schools to accommodate student growth.  The school district experienced its only drop in enrollment at the beginning of the 1973-74 school year when the Laredo Air Force Base closed in April of 1973.

The following depicts the time lines, opening dates, and total enrollment figures of the district’s 35 schools, as well as other important events.

·         1959 – Nye Elementary/Cactus consolidated with Prairie View

·         1961 – UISD formed

·         1971 – United Intermediate / Col. Santos Benavides Elementary (2,040 – District Enrollment)

·         1973 – Clark Elementary (1,940 – District Enrollment)

·         1976- Salinas Elementary (2,875 – District Enrollment)

·         1978 – Clark Middle School (3,761 – District Enrollment)

·         1980 – Newman Elementary (4,999 – District Enrollment)

·         1982 – Trautmann Elementary (5,847 – District Enrollment)

·         1984 – United High School (Former high school becomes 8^th grade Intermediate / United Middle School) (7,014 – District Enrollment)

·         1986 – Dr. Sigifredo Perez Elementary (8,456 – District Enrollment)

·         1988 - Finley Elementary (10,600 – District Enrollment)

·         1989 – United D. D. Hachar Elementary (11,468 – District Enrollment)

·         1990 – United South Jr. / Sr. High School (12,666 – District Enrollment)

·         1991 – United South Junior High School (13,898 – District Enrollment)

·         1992 – Amparo Gutierrez Elementary School and Alicia Ruiz Elementary School (15,500 – District Enrollment)

·         1993 – Matias de Llano Elementary, Kazen Elementary, and Juarez-Lincoln Elementary (17,000 District Enrollment)

·         1993 – Passed a $75 million bond election to include the following allocations:  67% - construction of new schools, 9% additions to existing schools, 9% - existing school renovations, 6% - computer acquisitions, 7% - centralized operations, .6% - athletic facilities, and 1.4% - emerging needs fund.  The bond packet accommodated the district’s needs for five years ending in 1998.

·         1994 – Paciano Prada Elementary, John B. Alexander High School, John B. Alexander Health Professions Magnet School (emphasis in Science and Math), and the United Alternative Education Center (targets at-risk high school students).  The program is self-paced and accelerates achievement by employing technology, vocational options, and individualized counseling. (18,000 District Enrollment)

·         1994 – A new school organization adopted by the Board of Trustees in 1994 involved the reorganization of the district into the configuration of Pre-K through 5^th grades at the elementary level, 6^th through 8^th at the middle school, and 9^th through 12^th grades at the high schools.  Schools are placed in neighborhoods to allow parents to participate in the activities of the school and eliminate the busing that had been the norm in the district.  To achieve these goals, UISD opened two middle schools and one elementary school in the north and south sectors of Laredo in the fall of 1995.

·         1995 – George Washington Middle School, Salvador Garcia Middle School, and John F. Kennedy-Emiliano Zapata Elementary (19,771 – District Enrollment)

·         1996/Spring – Board of Trustees adopted the Single Member District method of electing board members.  Seven (7) districts were adopted allowing representation on the board by community members residing in all areas of the district

·         1996/Fall – Trautmann Middle School, Los Obispos Middle School, Roosevelt Elementary, UISD Service Center (Purchasing, Technology, Plant Operations, Central Mail, Shipping and Receiving, and Tax Office)  (20,000 – District Enrollment)

·         1997 – The Academy – Magnet School for Business, Advanced Technology, and Communications provides opportunities for local certification in International Business, General Business, Business Computer Information Systems, Cisco Networking Academy with CCNA certification, A+ Certification, MOUS certification, and numerous graphic arts certification (Photoshop, Flash). (21,120 – District Enrollment)

·         1998 – Passed a $115 million bond election on June 2, 1998. The bond expenditures covered construction over the next five years of growth based on projections. Expenditures included seven new schools totaling $86,500,000, renovations and traffic improvements - $12,150-,000, instructional technology - $5,000,000, and Student Activity Center $19,355,526. (22,517 – District Enrollment)

·         1999 – John W. Arndt Elementary, Dr. Henry Cuellar Elementary, Senator Judith Zaffirini Elementary and Julia Bird Jones Muller Elementary. (25,476 District Enrollment)

·         2000 – Engineering Magnet School opened at United High School. (27,328 District Enrollment)

·         2001 – Lyndon B. Johnson Junior High/High School opens. (28,867 District Enrollment)

·         2002 – Charles R. Borchers Elementary School and Antonio Gonzalez, Jr. Middle School open. Open UISD Student Activity Center. Groundbreaking for Bonnie Lopez Garcia Elementary School.

·         September 2003 – 32,157 District Enrollment.

• November 2003 - United ISD voters approve a bond package worth $142 million dollars. The bond money will be used to build six new elementary schools, one new middle school and one new high school. Bond money will be used for additions and renovations to existing schools, as well as improved computer technology throughout the District.
   

• August – 2004 - Two new elementary schools open their doors to students at United ISD R.C. Centeno Elementary and Bonnie Garcia Elementary open in the south part of the District. The schools were part of a bond construction program approved by voters in November 2003.
   

• January 2005 – 33,623 District Enrollment
   

• 2006 - Lamar Bruni Vergara Middle School opens in Fall 2006
   

• September 2006 - 36,934 District Enrollment