Campus Histories
Elementary Campuses
- Dave Blair Elementary
- L. F. Blanton Elementary
- Carrollton Elementary
- Central Elementary
- Country Place Elementary
- Dale B. Davis Elementary
- Farmers Branch Elementary
- Bernice Chatman Freeman Elementary
- Furneaux Elementary
- R. E. Good Elementary
- E. L. Kent Elementary
- Tom Landry Elementary
- Las Colinas Elementary
- La Villita Elementary
- McCoy Elementary
- Charlie C. McKamy Elementary
- McLaughlin Strickland Elementary
- Kathryn S. McWhorter Elementary
- L. P. Montgomery
- Annie Heads Rainwater Elementary
- Riverchase Elementary
- Rosemeade Elementary
- Donald H. Sheffield Primary and Intermediate
- Janie Stark Elementary
- June R. Thompson Elementary
Dave Blair Elementary
Opened in the fall of 2002, the school is named for Dave Blair, long-time resident and former Mayor of Farmers Branch. The Blair’s children graduated from R. L. Turner High School. From 2002-2003 to 2009-2010, Dave Blair was a school for third through fifth graders and shared a campus with Montgomery Elementary School. Montgomery was a companion school to Dave Blair, served the same neighborhood and grades kindergarten through grade 2. Due to financial considerations, the district decided closed the Montgomery school and added 12 classrooms to the Dave Blair building. Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, Dave Blair Elementary became a Kindergarten through grade 5 campuses.
L. F. Blanton Elementary
Originally built in 1971, the school is named for Lester Franklin Blanton who moved to Carrollton in 1931 and turned an old, run-down feed mill into a thriving business in the heart of downtown. The Blantons were involved in many civic, social, and school organizations. Mr. Blanton served on the school district’s Board of Trustees from 1933 until 1960, and as president of the board from 1941 until 1960. The Blantons’ youngest son, Bill, also served on the Board of Trustees for the school district. The original school building was torn down when a new facility was built with funds from a 2003 bond referendum. The new L. F. Blanton School opened for the 2007-08 school year.
Carrollton Elementary
Central Elementary
Country Place Elementary
According to Dallas developer Warren Clark, there was no residential housing north of Carrollton’s Belt Line Road in the late 1960’s. When he purchased a tract of land that included a country farmhouse, spring-fed creek, and riding stables from former Dallas mayor Ray Hubbard and his family, he decided to develop a residential community in the area. Clark appropriately named his new housing addition “Country Place.” Country Place Elementary, which is located in the Country Place housing addition, was built in 1975. A major renovation project occurred in 2009, which included a new cafeteria as well as a new school entrance. The construction project was completed for the 2009-2010 school year.
Dale B. Davis Elementary
Dale Davis came to the school district in 1945 as head football coach and principal of Carrollton High School (now known as DeWitt Perry Middle School). Davis later became principal of Central Elementary School and also served as the first principal of the new R. L. Turner High School in 1962. In 1967, Davis became assistant superintendent of the school district, responsible for grounds and buildings. He retired from the district in 1976 and a new elementary school was named in his honor.
Farmers Branch Elementary
For many years, all the children in Farmers Branch attended one school on Valley View Lane. The building eventually became a grade school and in 1967, a new Farmers Branch Elementary school was built on Tom Field Road. The original school building on Valley View Lane housed the Valley View Learning Center from 1975 until 1989. The learning center was renamed the Mary Grimes Education Center and moved to a new location on Hutton Drive in 1989.
Bernice Chatman Freeman Elementary
Opened in fall 2004 in Valley Ranch. This school was named after Bernice Chatman Freeman, a life-long resident of Carrollton. Mrs. Freeman was employed by the district to be the teacher for the Carrollton Colored School where she served more than fifty students. While at J. H. Bush School, Mrs. Freeman became the school’s principal in the 1960’s. In 1963, Mrs. Freeman began teaching at Janie Stark Elementary School where she taught for two years before moving to Carrollton Elementary and ultimately to R.E. Good Elementary School. In 1981, Mrs. Freeman retired from the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District after teaching thirty-eight years.
Furneaux Elementary
Early settlers of Peters Colony, the Furneaux’s were a wealthy farming family. In the early 1900s, before there were public schools, William Furneaux hired a teacher and used his home on Furneaux road in Carrollton as a private school for area children. Furneaux Elementary School, which opened in 1981, is named in honor of this family and their commitment to educating the children of Carrollton.
R. E. Good Elementary
Originally built in 1956, the school is named for Rex E. Good, a descendant of the Good family of pioneers who first came to Carrollton in the early 1900’s. For many years, Good operated the gin at the corner of Interstate 35 and West Third Street in downtown Carrollton. Good’s family once owned the land on which the school now stands. The original building was torn down in the summer of 2012. A new building was constructed during the 2011-2012 school year. The new R. E. Good Elementary School building opened for the 2012-13 school year.
E. L. Kent Elementary
Constructed in 1989, this school is named for E. L. Kent, who came to Carrollton in 1948 as the district’s first elementary school principal. Kent was the principal of the current Carrollton Elementary until his retirement in 1972. His wife, Margaret, worked in the district’s Food Services department for more than 30 years.
Tom Landry Elementary
Tom Landry Elementary is the first district school built in Irving’s Valley Ranch. Known throughout the world as a brilliant coach, Tom Landry was a true gentleman who exemplifies the word “leadership.” Landry’s life was characterized by excellence, respect, and integrity. Tom Landry Elementary opened in 1996.
Las Colinas Elementary
Las Colinas Elementary was the first district school built in the city of Irving. The district’s boundaries have always extended into this geographical area but, for many years, the few children who lived there were bused into schools in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch area. Due to the tremendous growth in the Hackberry Creek and Valley Ranch areas in recent years, the need for a school in the area became critical. Las Colinas Elementary, which opened in 1986, was built on a tract of land donated by the Kinwest Corporation.
La Villita Elementary
Located in Irving, La Villita Elementary is the district’s twenty-seventh elementary campus. It was built in 2008. La Villita is the sixth school campus built in the city of Irving. La Villita Elementary boasts a unique school design that is a perfect fit for the Spanish colonial style of the neighborhood development. The design uses wood, stone, glass, dynamic spaces and multiple courtyards to create a welcoming and aesthetically pleasing learning environment for students.
McCoy Elementary
Charlie C. McKamy Elementary
The McKamy family has a rich history in settling the land in parts of Collin, Denton and Dallas Counties. In the 1850’s, the family established a home in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch area. Known for his love of the land, McKamy helped make the Carrollton-Farmers Branch area a thriving farming community. McKamy Elementary is constructed on 15 acres of the family’s farmland and opened its doors to students in 1992.
McLaughlin Strickland Elementary
Originally Webb Chapel Elementary, McLaughlin Elementary was constructed in 1959. The name of the school was later changed after the death of its first principal, Neil Ray McLaughlin, in 1967. McLaughlin also served in the school district as a teacher at Carrollton High School, assistant principal at Vivian Field Middle School, and principal at the old Farmers Branch Elementary School.
Dedicated in 2008, Nancy H. Strickland Intermediate School is named after former teacher and School Board Member Nancy Strickland. In 1961, Mrs. Strickland began her teaching career in CFBISD. She taught English and history at Vivian Field Junior High School. Mrs. Strickland also taught Spanish at R. L. Turner High School. In 1975, she transferred to Newman Smith High School and served as department chair until she retired in 1988. Because of her dedication to this district, its values and culture, the CFBISD Board of Trustees named this intermediate school in honor of Nancy H. Strickland.
Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, the campus will only be housed at Strickland and will be called McLaughlin Strickland Elementary.
Kathryn S. McWhorter Elementary
The school opened in 2001. Mrs. McWhorter came to the CFBISD in 1974 and served as the reading/language arts coordinator, and principal of Blanton Elementary School and Dan F. Long Middle School. She retired in 1994 but has remained highly involved in the district and public education. She and her husband Doyle are among the CFBISD Educational Foundation Founding Benefactors and have established an endowed scholarship.
L. P. Montgomery
Originally constructed as Valwood Elementary School in 1955, this was the first elementary school built after the merging of Carrollton and Farmers Branch Independent School Districts. L. P. Montgomery, a former science and chemistry teacher at the old Carrollton High School, was principal of Valwood for 27 years. When he retired in 1982, the school was renamed for him. The building was closed after the 2009-2010 school year.
Annie Heads Rainwater Elementary
Built in 1994, the school is named for Annie Heads Rainwater as a tribute to her strength, courage and convictions. Rainwater’s vision was to educate her children in a school system where all children could learn together, learn from each other and grow together as one community. In September 1963, the district’s schools were integrated and Rainwater’s vision became a reality.
Riverchase Elementary
Rosemeade Elementary
Donald H. Sheffield Primary and Intermediate
Both schools are named for Donald H. Sheffield, who served as president of the district’s Board of Trustees from 1972 until 1990 and as a Board member since 1964. The primary school, originally opened in 1985 as a school for kindergarten through six grade, houses students in kindergarten through second grade. The intermediate school, added in 1989 because of the residential growth in the area, houses grades three through five.
Janie Stark Elementary
Janie Stark spent her entire teaching career at Carrollton High School, beginning in 1928. She taught Spanish, math, typing and shorthand classes, served as yearbook sponsor, and later became secretary to Superintendent R. L. Turner. She died in 1962. In 1963, a new elementary school was named in her memory. In 2007, a new Janie Stark building replaced the original facility that built in 1963.
June R. Thompson Elementary
Formerly Woodlake Elementary School, Thompson Elementary was built in 1974 in Carrollton’s Woodlake residential area. June Thompson, the school’s first principal, was also the first woman to serve as principal of an individual school in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. Thompson served on the School Board from 1988 to 1994. In 1995, Woodlake was renamed the June Rhoton Thompson Elementary School.
Middle School Campuses
- Charles M. Blalack Middle School
- Vivian Field Middle School
- Dan F. Long Middle School
- DeWitt Perry Middle School
- Ted Polk Middle School
- Barbara Bush Middle School
Charles M. Blalack Middle School
Built in 1985, the school is named for former Carrollton-Farmers Branch School Board President Charles Blalack. Blalack, also a former R.L. Turner football announcer, served on the Board for 12 years, from 1960 until 1972, and as its chairman from 1968 to 1972. The school’s library is named in honor of Blalack’s wife, Margueritte, because of her faithful support of the school. Blalack’s son, Mike, also served as a member of the school board from 1982 until 1988.
Vivian Field Middle School
Vivian Field Middle School, built in 1960, is named in honor of Mrs. Tom (Vivian) Field. The Fields were active civic leaders in Farmers Branch for many years. Mr. Field, a former county commissioner, donated land for the first City Hall in Farmers Branch. Also a staunch supporter of public education, he donated land for a new school, with the stipulation that the school be named after his wife, Vivian.
Dan F. Long Middle School
Originally constructed as North Carrollton Junior High School in 1980, the school’s name was changed in 1988 upon the retirement of Dan F. Long, who served as superintendent of the district for 12 years. The School Board chose to re-name the school for Long because of his tremendous contributions to local public education as well as education throughout the state and country.
DeWitt Perry Middle School
The rich history of this school can be traced to the earliest days of the Carrollton school district. A two-story, red-brick building, which was the first school officially constructed by the district, was built on this site in 1915. In 1936, a new building, known as Carrollton High School, was constructed at the same location, and it remains as the nucleus of the school today. The school became DeWitt Perry Junior High in 1962 when the new R. L. Turner High School opened. DeWitt Perry is named for DeWitt Clinton Perry, son of A.W. and Sarah Perry, who donated his portion of his father’s estate to the school district in 1915. A. W. Perry settled the land on which the school now sits in the early 1800s. The school’s gymnasium is named in memory of his sister, Harriet Perry Warner.
Ted Polk Middle School
Ted Polk was a distinguished educator and musician. Polk joined the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District in 1969. He was the choir director at R. L. Turner High School for ten years. From 1979 to 1988, he served as assistant principal at Vivian Field, DeWitt Perry, North Carrollton (now Dan F. Long) Middle Schools. In 1988, Polk was named the district’s coordinator of fine arts. From 1994 until his death in February 1995, he held the position of director of fine arts. Polk worked tirelessly to build and keep a strong fine arts program in the schools. Ted Polk Middle School opened in 1997 as the district’s fifth middle school.
Barbara Bush Middle School
High School Campuses
Creekview High School
Ranchview High School
R. L. Turner High School
Robert Leon Turner devoted 29 years of his life to education in Dallas County. Turner, who also chaired the committee that wrote the original charter for the city of Carrollton, served as superintendent of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD from 1945 until his death in 1962. Built in 1959, the school served as a junior high for three years until 1962, when all of the district’s high school students were moved to the newly named R. L. Turner High School The former Carrollton High School then officially became known as DeWitt Perry Junior High School.
Newman Smith High School
Originally opened in 1975 as a school for eighth and ninth graders living in the northern section of the district. The school is named for former district superintendent Newman Smith. Smith served as superintendent from 1962 until his retirement in 1976. The school’s theatre is named in honor of Smith’s wife, Pauline. Newman Smith High School graduated its first class in 1979. Prior to the opening of Newman Smith High School, all high school students in the district attended R. L. Turner.
Other Buildings
- Early College High School
- Marie Huie Center
- Kelly Pre-Kindergarten Center
- Bea Salazar School
- Mary Grimes Education Center
Early College High School
The Early College High School (ECHS) is housed on the Brookhaven College campus. Early College opened in 2006 and became the district’s fifth high school. The Early College High School is a part of the Texas High School Project. ECHS students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree from Brookhaven College while earning a high school diploma.
Marie Huie Center
Kelly Pre-Kindergarten Center
The Kelly Pre-Kindergarten Center opened in 2007. The Kelly Pre-Kindergarten Center also houses the Child Development Academy for the children of district employees and the offices of the district’s After-School Programs. From 2007 until the end of the 2011-2012 school year, the center served pre-kindergarten and special education students from across the district as well. After the district returned its pre-kindergarten program back to a full-day program to the half-day state-funded program in 2009-2010, the district began returning pre-kindergarteners to their home elementary schools.
Bea Salazar School
Mary Grimes Education Center
In fall 1976, the district opened the Valley View Learning Center, an alternative school providing individualized education for students identified as dropouts or potential dropouts. From 1976 to 1989, the center was housed in the former Farmers Branch Elementary School building on Valley View Lane. When a new facility was built in 1989 on Hutton Drive in Carrollton, the center was named in honor of Mary Woodworth Grimes. Mrs. Grimes was a CFBISD educator for 25 years and is considered the matriarch of the district’s special education program. She began teaching at the Farmers Branch Elementary on Valley View Lane in 1954. Because of her interest in helping children with learning disabilities, she completed additional university classes and became an educational diagnostician in 1970. She gave support to the Valley View Learning Center staff from 1976 until retirement in 1980. After the Mary Grimes Center opened in 1989, “Miss Mary” was a frequent guest at the center and was always surrounded by students until her death in 1998.
Middle School Campuses
- Charles M. Blalack Middle School
- Vivian Field Middle School
- Dan F. Long Middle School
- DeWitt Perry Middle School
- Ted Polk Middle School
- Barbara Bush Middle School
Charles M. Blalack Middle School
Built in 1985, the school is named for former Carrollton-Farmers Branch School Board President Charles Blalack. Blalack, also a former R.L. Turner football announcer, served on the Board for 12 years, from 1960 until 1972, and as its chairman from 1968 to 1972. The school’s library is named in honor of Blalack’s wife, Margueritte, because of her faithful support of the school. Blalack’s son, Mike, also served as a member of the school board from 1982 until 1988.
Vivian Field Middle School
Vivian Field Middle School, built in 1960, is named in honor of Mrs. Tom (Vivian) Field. The Fields were active civic leaders in Farmers Branch for many years. Mr. Field, a former county commissioner, donated land for the first City Hall in Farmers Branch. Also a staunch supporter of public education, he donated land for a new school, with the stipulation that the school be named after his wife, Vivian.
Dan F. Long Middle School
Originally constructed as North Carrollton Junior High School in 1980, the school’s name was changed in 1988 upon the retirement of Dan F. Long, who served as superintendent of the district for 12 years. The School Board chose to re-name the school for Long because of his tremendous contributions to local public education as well as education throughout the state and country.
DeWitt Perry Middle School
The rich history of this school can be traced to the earliest days of the Carrollton school district. A two-story, red-brick building, which was the first school officially constructed by the district, was built on this site in 1915. In 1936, a new building, known as Carrollton High School, was constructed at the same location, and it remains as the nucleus of the school today. The school became DeWitt Perry Junior High in 1962 when the new R. L. Turner High School opened. DeWitt Perry is named for DeWitt Clinton Perry, son of A.W. and Sarah Perry, who donated his portion of his father’s estate to the school district in 1915. A. W. Perry settled the land on which the school now sits in the early 1800s. The school’s gymnasium is named in memory of his sister, Harriet Perry Warner.
Ted Polk Middle School
Ted Polk was a distinguished educator and musician. Polk joined the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District in 1969. He was the choir director at R. L. Turner High School for ten years. From 1979 to 1988, he served as assistant principal at Vivian Field, DeWitt Perry, North Carrollton (now Dan F. Long) Middle Schools. In 1988, Polk was named the district’s coordinator of fine arts. From 1994 until his death in February 1995, he held the position of director of fine arts. Polk worked tirelessly to build and keep a strong fine arts program in the schools. Ted Polk Middle School opened in 1997 as the district’s fifth middle school.
Barbara Bush Middle School
High School Campuses
Creekview High School
Ranchview High School
R. L. Turner High School
Robert Leon Turner devoted 29 years of his life to education in Dallas County. Turner, who also chaired the committee that wrote the original charter for the city of Carrollton, served as superintendent of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD from 1945 until his death in 1962. Built in 1959, the school served as a junior high for three years until 1962, when all of the district’s high school students were moved to the newly named R. L. Turner High School The former Carrollton High School then officially became known as DeWitt Perry Junior High School.
Newman Smith High School
Originally opened in 1975 as a school for eighth and ninth graders living in the northern section of the district. The school is named for former district superintendent Newman Smith. Smith served as superintendent from 1962 until his retirement in 1976. The school’s theatre is named in honor of Smith’s wife, Pauline. Newman Smith High School graduated its first class in 1979. Prior to the opening of Newman Smith High School, all high school students in the district attended R. L. Turner.
Other Buildings
- Early College High School
- Marie Huie Center
- Kelly Pre-Kindergarten Center
- Bea Salazar School
- Mary Grimes Education Center
Early College High School
The Early College High School (ECHS) is housed on the Brookhaven College campus. Early College opened in 2006 and became the district’s fifth high school. The Early College High School is a part of the Texas High School Project. ECHS students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree from Brookhaven College while earning a high school diploma.
Marie Huie Center
Kelly Pre-Kindergarten Center
The Kelly Pre-Kindergarten Center opened in 2007. The Kelly Pre-Kindergarten Center also houses the Child Development Academy for the children of district employees and the offices of the district’s After-School Programs. From 2007 until the end of the 2011-2012 school year, the center served pre-kindergarten and special education students from across the district as well. After the district returned its pre-kindergarten program back to a full-day program to the half-day state-funded program in 2009-2010, the district began returning pre-kindergarteners to their home elementary schools.
Bea Salazar School
Mary Grimes Education Center
In fall 1976, the district opened the Valley View Learning Center, an alternative school providing individualized education for students identified as dropouts or potential dropouts. From 1976 to 1989, the center was housed in the former Farmers Branch Elementary School building on Valley View Lane. When a new facility was built in 1989 on Hutton Drive in Carrollton, the center was named in honor of Mary Woodworth Grimes. Mrs. Grimes was a CFBISD educator for 25 years and is considered the matriarch of the district’s special education program. She began teaching at the Farmers Branch Elementary on Valley View Lane in 1954. Because of her interest in helping children with learning disabilities, she completed additional university classes and became an educational diagnostician in 1970. She gave support to the Valley View Learning Center staff from 1976 until retirement in 1980. After the Mary Grimes Center opened in 1989, “Miss Mary” was a frequent guest at the center and was always surrounded by students until her death in 1998.