Wylie Independent School District (Taylor County, Texas)
Encyclopedia
The Wylie Independent School District is a public school district based in the far southern portion (often called Wylie
Wylie, Taylor County, Texas
Wylie is an unincorporated community in Taylor County, Texas, United States. The once predominantly rural area has developed into a suburban bedroom community in recent years as the city of Abilene has expanded southward...

) of Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...

, 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...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

In order to avoid confusion with the Wylie Independent School District
Wylie Independent School District (Collin County, Texas)
Wylie Independent School District is a school district based in Wylie, Texas, United States and covers much of south central Collin County.Wylie ISD serves most of the city of Wylie, including the city of St. Paul, a portion of the city of Murphy, and the Collin County portion of the city of...

 in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb of Wylie
Wylie, Texas
Not to be confused with the unincorporated area of Wylie, Texas just outside Abilene, Texas.Wylie is a city in Collin, Dallas, and Rockwall Counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and a suburb of Dallas. At the 2000 Census, the population was 15,132; 2004 estimates pegged it at 25,850...

, the district is commonly referred to as Abilene Wylie.

In 2009, the school district was rated "recognized
Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system
The Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system rates all public schools, charter schools, and school districts in the State of Texas.The criteria are the same for schools and districts, and are discussed below...

" by the Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...

.

Geography

Wylie ISD serves southern Abilene, the communities of Caps
Caps, Texas
Caps is an unincorporated community in Taylor County, Texas, United States. It is located southwest of Abilene near the intersection of U.S. Highway 277 and FM 707. The community is part of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, Potosi
Potosi, Texas
Potosi is a census-designated place in Taylor County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,664 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Potosi is located at...

, and View
View, Texas
View is an unincorporated community in Taylor County, Texas, United States. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 277 and FM 1235, approximately thirteen miles southwest of Abilene...

, as well as unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

s in east central Taylor County
Taylor County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,555 people, 47,274 households, and 32,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 138 people per square mile . There were 52,056 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...

.

The district is bordered by the following school districts: Abilene ISD
Abilene Independent School District
Abilene Independent School District is a public school district based in Abilene, Texas .The district serves the cities of Abilene and Impact in northeastern Taylor County as well as the portion of Abilene that lies in southeastern Jones County...

 (north), Eula ISD
Eula Independent School District
Eula Independent School District is a public school district located in northwestern Callahan County, Texas . A small portion of the district extends into eastern Taylor County....

 (east, northeast), Clyde Consolidated ISD
Clyde Consolidated Independent School District
Clyde Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Clyde, Texas .Located in Callahan County, portions of the district extend into Shackelford, Jones, and Taylor counties....

 (southeast), Jim Ned Consolidated ISD
Jim Ned Consolidated Independent School District
Jim Ned Consolidated Independent School District is a school district based in Tuscola, Texas . The district serves approximately 1,000 students in southeastern Taylor County, including the towns of Tuscola, Buffalo Gap, and Lawn. A small portion of northeastern Runnels County lies within the...

 (south), and Merkel ISD
Merkel Independent School District
Merkel Independent School District is a public school district based in Merkel, Texas . The district covers portions of two counties, Taylor and Jones.In addition to Merkel, the district also serves the city of Tye.-Schools:*Merkel High...

 (west, northwest).

Schools

There are a total of five schools in the Wylie Independent School District. All campuses are located within the city limits of Abilene.
  • Wylie High School
    Wylie High School (Abilene, Texas)
    The Wylie Independent School District is a public school district based in the far southern portion of Abilene, Texas, United States....

     (Grades 9-12)
    • 2008 National Blue Ribbon School
  • Wylie Junior High School (Grades 6-8)
  • Wylie Intermediate School (Grades 3-5)
  • Wylie Elementary School (Grades K-2)
  • Wiley Early Childhood Center (Pre-Kindergarten)

History

The history of Wylie ISD dates back to the early 20th century. While records show that a Wylie school district was designated as early as 1888, it wasn't until 1902 that a school was organized. Mary V. Wiley, widow of pioneer J.J. Wylie, donated two acres of land for the construction of a new school. Three prominent citizens each contributed $120 for the purchase of materials and residents pooled their talents to erect a twenty-by-thirty foot building for use as both a school and a church.

In its first year (1902), the campus was a private school with an enrollment of 13 students. The school, then called District No. 11, became a public school in 1903. A post office opened in the community a year later under the name Sambo. The school's name was changed from District No. 11 to Sambo School. Due to an increasing student population, a new school was built in 1915 on land donated by Mrs. Wylie. She requested that the school's name be changed to Wylie in honor of her late husband, which was done. A series of bond elections were held during the 1920s. The first, in 1924, funded the construction of a new brick school that opened in 1925. The second bond election was held in 1927 that approved the construction of two additional classrooms and a dining room for the home economics department.

The 1930s saw a number of smaller school districts consolidate with Wylie. The Neill school district did so in 1931, followed by Iberis in 1933. That year, the district expanded from ten to eleven grades. In 1935, Buffalo Gap
Buffalo Gap, Texas
Buffalo Gap is an incorporated town in Taylor County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 463 at the 2000 census. It is the former county seat of Taylor County, having been supplanted in 1883 by the much larger Abilene to its north...

 began sending its tenth and eleventh graders to Wylie, which continued until 1978 when Buffalo Gap consolidated with Jim Ned
Jim Ned Consolidated Independent School District
Jim Ned Consolidated Independent School District is a school district based in Tuscola, Texas . The district serves approximately 1,000 students in southeastern Taylor County, including the towns of Tuscola, Buffalo Gap, and Lawn. A small portion of northeastern Runnels County lies within the...

. Potosi began sending its eleventh grade students to Wylie in 1937 and Cedar Creek closed and began sending its students to Wylie as well. The Bulldog mascot and the colors purple and gold were officially adopted in 1942. Potosi, which had been sending its secondary school students to Wylie since the late 1930s, fully consolidated with the district in 1949.

A bond election passed in 1962 that called for the addition of two buildings and other improvements. By 1964, a total of 466 students were enrolled in the district. As Abilene grew and annexed land from Wylie into its school district, Wylie residents voted to become an independent school district in 1968. Butterfield School, located between the communities of Caps and View, consolidated with Wylie ISD in 1978. A bond election held that same year passed, which funded the construction of a new high school campus on Farm Road 707 (Beltway South).

The district continued to grow and a new middle school (presently Wylie Intermediate School) opened in 1984. A year later, enrollment stood at 1,550. In 1986, an intermediate campus opened on Hardwick Road (present-day Wylie Elementary School). A larger high school campus on Antilley Road opened in 1994 and the previous high school was converted into the district's junior high school.

Wylie schools celebrated the district's 100th anniversary in 2002. At the end of the 2005-2006 school year, Butterfield School closed, reducing the number of schools from six to five.
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