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Early Years
A common school district was first established in Allen
in 1883. A total of 3.8 acres were purchased for a
school from the Houston & Texas Central Railroad for
$150.
The citizens of Allen voted in April of 1910 to change
from a common school district to an Independent School
District which served 10 grades. That same year a two
story brick building with a total of six rooms and an
auditorium was built at the corner of Belmont and Cedar.
The annual budget for 1910-1911 was $64,866 and the
average teacher salary was $45 per month. The district
had five teachers and served approximately 200 students.
Allen’s first graduating class of record was the class
of 1914; a class of eight students.
In 1931-32 the Negro Methodist Church building was
purchased to open the Allen Colored School. The Allen
Colored School had eight grades and two teachers.
Students then attended Doty High in McKinney for grades
9-12.
Many smaller school districts in Collin County were
consolidated in the mid 1930’s. The Bethany Schools were
divided between Plano and Allen while the Bush Schools
were divided between Frisco and Allen. As part of
redistricting, the Collin County School Board denied
Allen’s request for expanded boundaries claiming the
community would never grow. Allen citizens, however,
were determined to have their own school.
During the 1940’s, the district faced
its greatest challenge when enrollments fell one student
below the state minimum of 158. The district was in
danger of losing its accreditation due to shrinking
enrollment, inadequate facilities, and lack of courses.
Members of the Board of Trustees actively recruited and
housed teachers in Allen to prevent consolidation of the
Allen district with McKinney ISD. Citizens also helped
to keep teachers employed by opening their homes and
paying salaries through donations to PTA.
Through strong efforts on the part of
the school administrators and community leaders, the
outlook improved in the latter part of the 1950’s.
Voters supported the 1953 and 1959 bond elections by
wide margins of 61-1 and 106-0.
Growth and Expansion
In 1959, the district opened
the new high school on land donated by Harris Brown at
the corner of Jupiter and Main Streets. The Allen school
system integrated in 1964, being the first among the
County school systems in the area to do so. Enrollments
increased steadily through the 1960’s. The 1968-69
school year showed total enrollments exceeding 500 for
the first time.
Allen ISD’s first elementary level
school was Rountree Elementary which opened in 1974. It
was dedicated in honor of D. L. Rountree, a
superintendent in the district for 23 years. Boyd
Elementary, which opened in 1978, was named for Alton
Boyd, a school board member for 27 years. In 1980, Reed
Elementary opened its doors. It was named after Gene
Reed, a former student and local businessman who was a
dedicated supporter of Allen ISD. Ford Middle School
opened in 1984 in honor of W. E. “Pete” Ford, a local
businessman and long time school supporter. The late
eighties saw the addition of Story Elementary (1987),
dedicated in honor of Alvis C. Story, an Allen bus
driver, tax collector and community leader; and Vaughan
Elementary (1989), named for Max Vaughan, teacher,
coach, principal and administrator for more than 30
years.
Allen Grows Up
City and school populations boomed in the 1990’s.
Curtis
Middle School was added in 1994, being named for two
long-time Allen residents and employees of Allen ISD (Lois and Walter Curtis).
Green Elementary opened in 1995
and was named in tribute to the grandmother of the land
donor, Flossie Floyd Green. Anderson Elementary &
Norton
Elementary opened for the 1997-98 school year. Anderson
was dedicated in the name of George C. Anderson, former
principal of the Allen Colored School, and teacher-coach
in the Allen school system. Norton bears the name of
Frances E. Norton, a dedicated teacher in the Allen
schools for 30 years. Allen ISD added two new campuses
for the 1999-2000 school year. The Dillard Special
Achievement Center was named for the former school board
member, Mrs. Pat Dillard. The school serves as a site
for alternative education programs and other
non-traditional education services.
August of 1999 also saw the opening of Allen High School
2000. The state of the art facility opened to 2,200
students in grades 10-12. The former high school was
converted into the Becky Lowery Freshman Center in honor
of a former middle school teacher and school counselor.
Two new elementary schools opened in
August 2000. James Kerr Elementary School was named for
the former school board member of 23 years. Luther and AnnaMae Bolin Elementary School was named in honor of
the former school board member and his wife on land
donated by their sons, Kenneth and Forrest Bolin. James
& Margie Marion Elementary School opened in August 2003
in honor of the former Allen principal and librarian.
Thomas Ereckson Middle School opened in August 2004 in
the name of the former school board member. Dr. ET Boon
Elementary School opened in 2005 honoring former school
board member and community businessman Dr. ET Boon.
Chandler Elementary School most recently opened in
August 2006 in recognition of Carlena Chandler, a former
Allen High School student and long time teacher.
Today, enrollment is approximately 16,000 students, up
more than 150 percent since 1984-85. The district
includes fifteen campuses and employs over 2,000
individuals. |
