The Highlands School
Encyclopedia
The Highlands School is a private, Catholic college preparatory school in Irving
, Texas
(USA
) ranging from grades PK
–12
. The school was founded in 1986 in the front room of a family's house in Highland Park, Dallas. In the last twenty years The Highlands School changed location twice, all the time staying in Irving. The school itself has seen many upgrades from the addition of a football
field and lights to a gymnasium, weight room, and new technology in the classrooms. The Highlands School is fully accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department (TCCED) since 1999, and by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) since 2006. For the fourth consecutive year, the school has been named by the Acton Institute as one of the "Top 50 Catholic Schools" in the country.
on Northgate Drive between Texas State Highways 114 and 183. The campus is located next to the University of Dallas
. It is in close proximity to both the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
and Love Field Airport. DART
bus lines run to The Highlands School with a stop at the entrance on Northgate Drive. The Highlands School is located in the metropolitan area of Dallas
.
. Students of The Highlands School excel academically before and after graduation.
In the 2009-2010 school year, however, many classes became co-ed in the high school particularly in junior and senior classes.
(TAPPS). The boys soccer team often plays in a 5A or a 4A district. The middle school sports are in the Dallas Parochial League (DPL), although the football team operates as an independent in order to use players from grades 6–8 for one team as opposed to two teams. The Highlands School varsity soccer team was state champions in 2000, 1999 and 1997. The reigning girls state high jump
champion is also a student at The Highlands School. Other varsity sports include football
, cheerleading
, volleyball
, boys/girls basketball, boys/girls soccer, baseball
, softball
, boys/girls track and field
, boys/girls tennis
, and boys/girls golf
. The junior high school sports include football, cheerleading, volleyball and basketball.
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) ranging from grades PK
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
–12
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
. The school was founded in 1986 in the front room of a family's house in Highland Park, Dallas. In the last twenty years The Highlands School changed location twice, all the time staying in Irving. The school itself has seen many upgrades from the addition of a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
field and lights to a gymnasium, weight room, and new technology in the classrooms. The Highlands School is fully accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department (TCCED) since 1999, and by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) since 2006. For the fourth consecutive year, the school has been named by the Acton Institute as one of the "Top 50 Catholic Schools" in the country.
Location
The Highlands School is located in Irving, TexasIrving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
on Northgate Drive between Texas State Highways 114 and 183. The campus is located next to the University of Dallas
University of Dallas
The University of Dallas is a private, independent Catholic regional university located in Irving, Texas, established in 1956, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. According to U.S...
. It is in close proximity to both the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas...
and Love Field Airport. DART
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...
bus lines run to The Highlands School with a stop at the entrance on Northgate Drive. The Highlands School is located in the metropolitan area of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Students
The Highlands School welcomes students of all ethnicities, religions, and economic backgrounds. Although The Highlands School is a Catholic school, it accepts students from all religious backgrounds. The students travel to The Highlands School from households all over the Dallas/Fort Worth MetroplexDallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
. Students of The Highlands School excel academically before and after graduation.
Gender Specific School
The Highlands School has a unique setup of classes. The school's "gender specific" teaching program better serves the different needs of its male and female students. Both boys and girls are enrolled at The Highlands School, but attend single gender classes from the fourth grade through high school. Essentially, two separate, single gender schools exist on the campus. Although the male and female students come in contact, the two schools are in two different buildings separated by a quadrangle, but connected by the Fine Arts hallway.In the 2009-2010 school year, however, many classes became co-ed in the high school particularly in junior and senior classes.
Academics
The Highlands School follows a typical curriculum along with a challenging Roman Catholic theology program. The class schedule allows for seven forty- five minute classes with a break for lunch. The core curriculum include math, science, English, history/social studies, and theology. Offered electives include Philosophy, Drama, Choir, Yearbook, Drawing, Journalism, Music, Introduction to Art, and Art History.Athletics
The Highlands School is in the 3A classification of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial SchoolsTexas Association of Private and Parochial Schools
The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPPS, is an organization headquartered in Salado, Texas which creates rules for, and sometimes administers, almost all athletic and academic contests for non-public high schools in the American state of Texas...
(TAPPS). The boys soccer team often plays in a 5A or a 4A district. The middle school sports are in the Dallas Parochial League (DPL), although the football team operates as an independent in order to use players from grades 6–8 for one team as opposed to two teams. The Highlands School varsity soccer team was state champions in 2000, 1999 and 1997. The reigning girls state high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
champion is also a student at The Highlands School. Other varsity sports include football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, boys/girls basketball, boys/girls soccer, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, boys/girls track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, boys/girls tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and boys/girls golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. The junior high school sports include football, cheerleading, volleyball and basketball.