LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL PROFILE
RISD is home to more than 11,000 bilingual students who speak at least 76 different languages and dialects.
Top languages spoken in RISD include English, Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, Vietnamese, Pashto, and Urdu.
NORTH STAR GOAL
Every student, teacher, and leader will meet or exceed their academic growth goals.
Campus Honors and Recognitions
- 84% of graduates in 2023 graduated with one or more endorsements
- 475 of the 2023 graduates earned a Distinguished Level of Achievement
- “Met Standard” Rating from Texas Education Agency with Distinction in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science & Social Studies as well as Post-Secondary Readiness for 2021
- CREST Award (for excellence in Counseling Program) 2018, 2019
- Lone Star State Award (for excellence in Counseling Program) 2017, 2018, 2019
- Recognized by Newsweek & U.S. News and World Report as a top-rated high school
- Award-winning Fine Arts Programs with music programs being recognized at State & National level
- Official Morehead-Cain Out of State Nominating School—University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Academic Excellence
The following rigorous courses are available to highly motivated and academically talented students:
Advanced/Honors— Algebra I-Adv, Algebra II-Adv, Anatomy/Physiology-H, Art I-Adv, Band-H, Biology-Adv, Ceramics –Adv, Chemistry-Adv, Choir-H, Drawing –Adv, Electronic Media Adv, English I-Adv, English II-Adv, French III-Adv, Geometry-Adv, Japanese III Adv, Latin III-Adv, Orchestra-H, Painting-Adv, Photography-Adv, Spanish III-Adv, Spanish Language Enrichment-H
Advanced Placement—Art Drawing, Art History, Art Three Dimension, Art Two Dimension, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science, English Language, English Literature, Environmental Science, European History, French Language and Culture, Human Geography, Japanese Language, Latin, Macroeconomics, Music Theory, Physics I, Physics C, Psychology, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, Statistics, U.S. Government, U.S. History, World History
Dual Credit— Art Appreciation, Business/Mkt & Finance Pathway, Criminal Justice Pathway, English 3 and 4, English Composition 1 and 2, English World Literature 1 and 2, Economics, Health Science Theory, Practicum in Health Science, Practicum in Health Science 2, Principles of Health Science, Precalculus, U.S. Government
UT OnRamps—College Algebra, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geoscience, Physics, Pre-Calculus, Reading Writing Rhetoric, Statistics, U.S. History
Campus Information
Campus website
9449 Church Road
Dallas, TX 75238
Main Office: 469-593-1000
Counseling Office: 469-593-1426
Enrollment: 2,892 (as of September 2022)
Seniors 617, Juniors 672, Sophomores 754 Freshmen 849
RISD does not rank beyond the top 10% of each graduating class as required by the state of Texas for the purposes of Automatic Admissions.
Accreditation: Texas Education Agency
School Code: 441-758
Schedule: Classes meet 90 minutes per day Monday – Friday; 18 weeks per semester.
Professional Staff
Superintendent: Tabitha Branum
Chief of Staff: Mike Jasso
Principal: Kerri Jones
Dean of Instruction: AnnMarie Yarborough
Assistant Principals: Orlando Champion, Kendall Hutchinson, Tommy Lamberth, Masud Shamsid-Deen, Deetrice Thomas, Marion Wildes, Dashuna Young
Counselors: Rhonda Boston, Shameka Brackens, Marianna Hogue, Judy London-Young, Velma Lopez, Maggie Karnowski, Shelly Miller, Culus Williams
Intervention Counselor: Melanie Theissen
College and Career Coordinator: Robin Finklea
District Information
Founded in 1857, Richardson ISD is located in northern Dallas County and encompasses most of the city of Richardson, as well as portions of the cities of Dallas and Garland. Sixty percent of the district is located in Dallas, thirty-five percent in Richardson, and five percent in Garland.
Demographic Information
English Language Learners 28 percent
Special Education 12.2 percent
Economically Disadvantaged 57 percent
Gifted and Talented 9.9 percent
Student Ethnicity
Hispanic 38.8 percent
White 28.9 percent
African American 22.1 percent
Asian 6.9 percent
Other 3.5 percent
2022-23 RISD graduates are attending the following highly selective colleges and universities:
Carnegie Mellon University
Georgetown University
Harvard University
Rice University
Tulane University of Louisiana
University of California – Los Angeles
University of Pennsylvania
Foundation High School Program
The following credits are needed for a student to graduate from RISD without an endorsement:
English – 4 credits
Mathematics – 3 credits
Science – 3 credits
Social Studies – 4 credits
PE – 1 credit
Fine Arts – 1 credit
Languages Other Than English – 2 credits
Health – .5 credit
Electives – 3.5 credits
Total – 22 credits
The following credits are needed for a student to graduate from RISD with an endorsement
English – 4 credits
Mathematics – 4 credits
Science – 4 credits
Social Studies – 4 credits
PE – 1 credit
Fine Arts – 1 credit
Languages Other Than English – 2 credits
Health – .5 credit
Electives – 5.5 credits
Total – 26 credits
Grade Scale
90-100 ………………… 4.0
80-89 ………….………. 3.0
70-79 …………………… 2.0
Below 70 ……………… 0.0
Grading scale used for college admission, scholarship or NCAA only
Quality Points— RISD students earn five quality points upon successful completion of Adv/Honors courses and ten quality points upon successful completion of AP, Dual Credit and OnRamps courses.
Full Year Course Credit— In order for a student to earn credit for a course that is a full year in length, the average of the two semester grades must equal a minimum of 70 (business rules of rounding apply).
Top 12 Attending Colleges Classes of 2021 and 2022
Class of 2021
El Centro College, University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University, University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas Tech University, The University of Texas at Dallas, University of Oklahoma-Newman, Belmont University, Richland College
Class of 2022
El Centro College, Richland College, University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University, University of North Texas, Texas Tech University, The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Austin, University of Oklahoma-Norman, Texas Southern University, The University of Texas at Dallas, Baylor University
Top 24 Attending Colleges Class of 2023
Dallas College, University of Arkansas, University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at Arlington, University of Oklahoma-Norman, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M-Commerce, Richland College, Texas Woman’s University, The University of Texas at Dallas, Auburn University, Oklahoma State University, Texas Southern University, University of Missouri-Columbia, Blinn College, Colorado State University-Fort Collins, Dallas Baptist University, Langston University, Prairie View A&M University, Sam Houston State University, Texas State University The University of Alabama, Arizona State University, Tempe
Testing Profile 3 Year Overview
2020-2021
SAT Mean Scores: Math – 579; Reading & Writing – 576; Total Seniors Taking Exam – 146
ACT Mean Scores: Composite – 19.4; Total Students Taking Exams – 529
Advanced Placement: Total Students in AP Classes – 466; Total Exams Taken – 891
National Merit Scholarship: Commended – 4
2021-2022
SAT Mean Scores: Math – 551; Reading & Writing – 565; Total Seniors Taking Exam – 181
ACT Mean Scores: Composite – 18.2; Total Students Taking Exam – 509
Advanced Placement: Total Students in AP Classes – 582; Total Exams Taken – 920
National Merit Scholarship: Commended – 7
2022-2023
SAT Mean Scores: Math – 529; Reading & Writing – 551; Total Seniors Taking Exam – 166
ACT Mean Scores: Composite – 18.0; Total Students Taking Exam – 568
Advanced Placement: Total Students in AP Classes – 683; Total Exams Taken – 1072
National Merit Scholarship: Commended – 2
Students in RISD will develop competencies in the areas of:
Financial Literacy, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Real World Connections, Effective Communication, and Emotional Intelligence
