Arlington Heights High School

Postcard of Arlington Heights High School (bottom) and North Side High School, undated

Arlington Heights High School was established in 1922 and hosted 715 students in its inaugural year. The current building was built in 1937. Originally, students from this area attended Stripling High School in the 1920s, which is now a feeder middle school.

Heights was generally affluent and white until the late 1960s, hosting many children of notable citizens of Fort Worth such as the Belknaps and Dickeys, as well as Governor Connally's children. African American students attended Como High School, which no longer exists and was merged with Arlington Heights at its closing. Students at Arlington Heights referred to their school as "The Hill", as the main building offers a view of the Trinity River valley to the south, from which AHHS is visible for miles.

In 1979, a Paschal High School student (and son of a county Commissioner) stole a bulldozer from a County construction site, drove it up Hulen Street and rammed it into the Arlington Heights High School Field House the day before the annual Heights-Paschal football game, completely leveling the field house.[5] This resulted in criminal convictions and a nationwide reassessment of safety and security measures, as well as beginning a national discussion about youth violence and vandalism on many national television and radio programs. This incident, along with what President Kennedy called the "Paschal Air Force" incident in 1963,[6] and Paschal's infamous Legion Of Doom criminal cult in the mid-1980s,[7] has made the Heights-Paschal high school football rivalry one of Texas' most legendary ongoing sports rivalries.

The school occupies a red brick building that is visible from Interstate 30 (West Freeway).[3]

The main building houses 74 classrooms, a library, band hall, auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, workrooms and administrative offices. Outside buildings include a second gymnasium, field houses with concessions stands, and a weight room. The new wing opened in the fall of 2004 and houses six classrooms and a-state of-the-art dance studio. The surrounding grounds are covered with tennis courts, baseball, softball, a unique multi-purpose athletic facility, soccer and football fields, and an all-weather track which is open to public use.[8]

In 2014, approximately 1,800 students attended the school. 46% were Hispanic, 29% were White Anglo, and 22% were Black. 45% of the students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.[9]

Arlington Heights' student-athletes compete in the UIL 5A classification for 12 varsity sports.

• Arlington Heights Chess Association
• Athletic Booster
• Band
• Dance Guild
• Debate Team
• Hispanic Youth Association
• Inter-Act Club
• The Jacket Journal newspaper, established 1933
• Journalism
• National Honor Society
• Orchestra
• PTSA
• Table Tennis Club
• Theater Heights
• UIL competitions
• Whiz Quiz
• The Yellow Jacket yearbook

• Michael A. Andrews, United States Representative from Texas (1983–1995)
• Blake Brockermeyer, former NFL player for the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, and Denver Broncos, and former Texas Longhorns lineman
• Milton Brown, "father of Western swing"
• Betty Buckley, Tony Award-winning actress and singer[10]
• Tim Curry, Tarrant County District Attorney, 1972–2009
• T. Cullen Davis, son of oil tycoon Stinky Davis; accused and acquitted twice for murder at his mansion
• John Denver, folk rock musician[3]
• Willie Flores, United States Coast Guard Medal recipient[11]
• Tony Franklin, former placekicker for the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and Miami Dolphins[10]
• Pete Geren, United States Representative from Texas (1989–1997) and Secretary of the Army (2007–2009)[10]
• Turner Gill, head football coach at Liberty University; former head football coach for the Kansas Jayhawks; former National Champion Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback[12]
• Robert Allen Hale, criminal and self-proclaimed pilgrim of the Alaskan wilderness
• Gunilla Hutton, cast member on Hee Haw and Petticoat Junction
• Martha Hyer, actress nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
• Joe K. Longley, former President of the Texas State Bar[13]
• Delbert McClinton, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and musician
• Ronnie Mills, former swimmer; won gold and bronze medals at the age of 17 at the 1968 Summer Olympics
• Lee Harvey Oswald, alleged assassin of John F. Kennedy, President of the United States (did not graduate)
• Bill Paxton, actor and film director
• Mike Renfro, former NFL player for the Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys; college player at TCU
• Sergio Reyes, former U.S. Olympic boxer
• Chuck Reynolds, football player
• Dusty Rhodes, Hall of Fame professional wrestler, known as "The American Dream"
• A'shawn Robinson, All-American football player, University of Alabama; former defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, currently for the Los Angeles Rams
• Tom Schieffer, former U.S. Ambassador to Australia and Japan; candidate for Democratic nomination for governor of Texas
• Tommy Thompson, author
• Marc Veasey, Congressman
• William Walker, Metropolitan Opera baritone
• Van Williams, The Green Hornet

Students attending the following feeder schools are zoned to attend Arlington Heights High School:[14]

• R. L. Paschal High School, Fort Worth (listed by Texas Football Monthly as the oldest ongoing high school rivalry in Texas history)[15]
• Trimble Tech High School
• Western Hills High School

• Arlington Heights High School