RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL PROFILE
RISD is home to more than 11,906 bilingual students who speak at least 76 different languages and dialects.
Top languages spoken in RISD include English, Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, Vietnamese, Pashto, and Farsi.
NORTH STAR GOAL
Every student, teacher, and leader will meet or exceed their academic growth goals.
Campus Honors and Recognitions
- 77% of graduates in 2024 earned the Distinguished Level of Achievement under the Foundation High School Program
- 75% of graduates in 2024 earned the Distinguished Level of Achievement under the Foundation High School Program
- Distinction Designations from Texas Education Agency in English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies as well as Post-Secondary Readiness for 2022
- AVID National Demonstration Site
- CREST Award (for excellence in Counseling Program) 2015-2019
- The Lone Star Bronze Award for excellence in Counseling Program 2019
- Recognized by Newsweek, Washington Post, and U.S. News and World Report as a top-rated high school
- 26 All-State Athletes 2022-2023
- Award-winning Fine Arts Program-State and National recognitions
- Nationally recognized Mock Trial Team
- College Readiness Award from the Texas ACT Council
- Skills USA National Robotics Champions
- 5 Tech Titans and 4 Texas Instruments STEM Award Winners
- National Battlebots Champion in Robotics
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 I-Adv, Choir-H, Drawing Adv, English I-Adv, English II-Adv, French II-Adv, French III-Adv, Geometry-Adv, Japanese III Adv, Latin III-Adv, Orchestra-H, Painting- Adv, Photography-Adv, Spanish II-Adv, Spanish III-Adv, and Digital Photo Media Adv
Advanced Placement—Art Drawing, Art History, Art Three Dimension, Art Two Dimension, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science Principles, Computer Science, English III, English IV, Environmental Science, European History, French Language and Culture, Human Geography, Japanese Language, Latin Literature, Latin Vergil, Macroeconomics, Music Theory, Physics I, Physics C, Psychology, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, Statistics, U.S. Government, U.S. History World History
Dual Credit— English Composition I/II, World Lit I/II, PreCalculus, U.S. History, U.S. Government, Economics, Health Science Pathway, Education & Training Pathway
UT OnRamps— Rhetoric, Research & Writing, Physics, Biology, College Algebra, PreCalculus, Chemistry and U. S. History
Campus Information
Campus website
1250 W. Belt Line Road
Richardson, Texas 75080
Main Office: 469-593-3000
Counseling Office: 469-593-3028
Enrollment: 2,754 (beginning of year 2023)
Seniors 619, Juniors 668, Sophomores 781, Freshmen 749
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: 445-840
Schedule: Classes meet 90 minutes per day Monday – Friday; 18 weeks per semester.
Professional Staff
Superintendent: Tabitha Branum
Chief of Staff: Mike Jasso
Principal: Chris Choat
Associate Principal: Alison Reams
Assistant Principals: Pantea Bagheri, Von Ensley, Aurora Everett, Al Gallo, Tara McLennan, Bill Parker, Cassie Stegall
Counselors: Marie Davis, Joelle Goad, Laurie Laman, Colleen Monier, Kerri Parker, Nancy Thompson, Kristine Thomas- Wright, Melissa Wolff
Intervention Counselor: Anita Cepeda
College and Career Coordinator: Cosondra Clay
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
Economically Disadvantaged 55.5 percent
Emergent Bilingual Students 32.1 percent
Special Education 15.2 percent
Gifted and Talented 11.7 percent
Student Ethnicity
Hispanic 38.8 percent
White 29.8 percent
African American 20.9 percent
Asian 7.4 percent
Other 3.6 percent
2023-24 RISD graduates are attending the following highly selective colleges and universities:
Brown University
Columbia University
Harvard University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
University of California – Berkeley
University of California – Los Angeles
University of Pennsylvania
Washington University in St. Louis
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 10 Attending Colleges Classes of 2023 and 2024
Class of 2022
El Centro College
The University of Texas at Dallas
Richland College
The University of Texas
University of North Texas
Richland Community College
Texas A&M University
University of Arkansas
Texas Tech University
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Class of 2023
Dallas College
The University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at Arlington
Richland College
Texas A&M University
University of North Texas
Texas Tech University
The University of Texas
University of Arkansas
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Top 20 Attending Colleges Class of 2024
University of North Texas
Dallas College
The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas
University of Arkansas
Abilene Christian University
Baylor University
Texas A&M University
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Midwestern University
Texas Wesleyan University
Dallas Baptist University
Richland College
Texas A&M University – Commerce
Texas Christian University
Wichita State University
University of Oregon
Austin College
Michigan State University
Testing Profile 3 Year Overview
2020-2021
SAT Mean Scores: Math – 597; Reading & Writing – 603; Total Seniors Taking Exam – 143
ACT Mean Scores: Composite – 20.6; Total Students Taking Exams – 439
Advanced Placement: Total Students in AP Classes – 587; Total Exams Taken – 1047
National Merit Scholarship: Commended – 9, Semifinalist – 2, Finalist – 2
2021-2022
SAT Mean Scores: Math – 573; Reading & Writing – 589; Total Seniors Taking Exam – 200
ACT Mean Scores: Composite – 20.6; Total Students Taking Exam – 457
Advanced Placement: Total Students in AP Classes – 709; Total Exams Taken – 1136
National Merit Scholarship: Commended – 11, Semifinalist – 2, Finalist – 2
2022-2023
SAT Mean Scores: Math – 556; Reading & Writing – 574; Total Seniors Taking Exam – 200
ACT Mean Scores: Composite – 19.3; Total Students Taking Exam – 552
Advanced Placement: Total Students in AP Classes – 858; Total Exams Taken – 1363
National Merit Scholarship: Commended – 9, Semifinalist – 2, Finalist – 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
