Palo Duro High School

Palo Duro High School is a school located in the city of Amarillo, Texas, United States, and is one of four high schools in the Amarillo Independent School District. As of the 2016–17 school year, it has 2,075 students.[1]

Palo Duro High School
Address
1400 N Grant

Amarillo
,
Texas
79107-3999

United States
Coordinates35.22675°N 101.82454°W / 35.22675; -101.82454
Information
School typePublic high school
Established1955
School districtAmarillo Independent School District
PrincipalAmy Dorris
Grades9-12
Enrollment1921 (2020)
Color(s)    Royal Blue & White
Athletics conferenceUIL Class AAAAA
MascotDon
YearbookThe Conquistador
WebsitePalo Duro High School

The school was named after Palo Duro Canyon, a canyon system in the Texas Panhandle.

Palo Duro High school[2]
Property: PDHS AMAISD STATEWIDE
average teacher experience 9.3 yrs. 12 yrs. 10.9yrs
students per teacher 14.9 14.6 15.1
four-year graduation rate 89.4% 92.8% 89.1%
dropout rates 2.9% - 24%
Risk Factors[3]
Risk Factors: PDHS AMAISD STATEWIDE
At-Risk Students 66.5% 47% 50.3%
Economically Disadvantaged 85.9% 68.1% 59%
Limited English Proficiency 18.1% 15.2% 18.9%

Classified as a 5A school by the UIL. In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.[4]

Enrollment by Program[5]
Program PDHS AMAISD STATEWIDE
Bilingual/ESL 17.8% 15.3% 18.8%
Career and Technical 66.9% 26.6% 25%
Gifted and Talented 3.9% 5.5% 7.8%
Special Education 9.8% 10.3% 8.8%

Heritage, Traditions, and Other Customs.

Palo Duro High School or maybe known by its nickname "the Pride of the Northside". With the motto "Virtute Et Labore" meaning power and labor in Latin. Palo Duro is one of the most ethnically diverse in the city, with students ranging from Hispanic to Asian, and African students.

ethnicity[6]
Race: TOTAL PDHS AMAISD STATEWIDE
Hispanic 1,173 56.5% 45.7% 52.4%
African-American 357 17.2% 10.2% 12.6%
American Indian 2 0.1% 0.4% 0.4%
Asian 297 14.3% 5.6% 4.2%
White 199 9.6% 34.9% 28.1%
Pacific Islander 1 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
Two or More races 46 2.2% 3% 2.2%

Athletics

The Palo Duro Dons compete in these sports -[7]

Cross Country, Volleyball, Football, Wrestling, Basketball, Swimming, Soccer, Golf, Bowling, Tennis, Track, Softball & Baseball

State Titles
  • Boys Basketball -[8]
    • 1956(3A)
  • Girls Wrestling -[9]
    • 2001(All), 2003(All)

1992 shooting

On September 11, 1992, then 17-year-old Randy Earl Matthews who transferred to the school from Memphis High School in Memphis, Texas at the start of the school year, shot and wounded 6 students with a .22-caliber pistol inside a hallway after a morning pep rally for a football game against Hereford High School. Luckily, all 6 students survived the shooting. Police quickly caught him and another student who attempted to flee the scene. Matthews was charged with one count of attempted murder, five counts of aggravated assault and one count of unlawfully carrying a weapon onto school grounds, in which he served 8 years. The other student who was with him was also arrested.[10] The shooting was believed to be a "gang shooting", all stemming from a fight in which a student had punched Matthews in the face.[11]

Feeder schools (Palo Duro Cluster)

Middle schools
  • Horace Mann Middle School
  • Travis Middle School
  • Travis 6th Grade Campus
  • Allen Middle School (6th Grade campus)

Elementary schools
  • Eastridge Elementary
  • Emerson Elementary
  • Forest Hill Elementary
  • Hamlet Elementary
  • Park Hills Elementary
  • Mesa Verde Elementary
  • Pleasant Valley Elementary
  • Will Rogers Elementary
  • Whittier Elementary

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Palo Duro High School". Texas Public Schools. 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  2. "Palo Duro High School". Texas Public Schools. 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  3. "Palo Duro High School". Texas Public Schools. 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  4. "2015 Accountability Rating System" (PDF). Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-10.
  5. "Palo Duro High School". Texas Public Schools. 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  6. "Palo Duro High School". Texas Public Schools. 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  7. The Athletics Department
  8. UIL Boys Basketball Archives
  9. UIL Girls Wrestling Archives Archived 2015-10-24 at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1992 Palo Duro High School shooting
  11. Services, From Times Wire (1992-09-12). "Teen-Ager Shoots 6 in School After Fight; 2 Seriously Hurt". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  12. http://www.invictafc.com/portfolio-item/jinh-yu-frey/
  13. "Montrel Meander". www.clevelandbrowns.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
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