Garland High School was founded 1902, and was established in the former Garland College. Around 1912 the building was expanded and renovated. It is the oldest of the district's high schools, having celebrated its 100-year anniversary in the 2001–2002 school year. The school celebrated its 70th anniversary at the current location in the 2006–2007 school year. Garland High School is also the Arts Magnet for the District with its Performing Arts Endorsement Program, and also renowned for its International Baccalaureate program. At one point GHS acquired the former Handley School. The film WUSS was shot at Garland High, as well as the 2016 LGBT-Comedy film “Hurricane Bianca”, starring drag queen Bianca Del Rio
Campus
certain agricultural and athletic programs are held off-campus since there is insufficient space to house them. The current GHS campus was built in 17 distinct pieces.
Academic programs
The school attracts many students from around the city because of its variety of rigorous academic programs such as the IB program and long history.
International Baccalaureate
The IB Program is a two-year educational program available to eleventh and twelfth grade students attending Garland High School. This program, following standard IB policies, requires a schedule of six academic subjects both years as well as a Theory of Knowledge class junior year. Other programs that can be taken alone but count as IB classes are IB Art and IB Theatre.
IB Art - Students study art and design and are evaluated towards their final years on the merits of their Investigation Workbooks or art portfolio. This is followed by an art show and allows for students to independently evaluate themselves during the process.
The School of Performing Arts was approved by the GISD School Board. Graduates of the School of Performing Arts receive the Performing Arts Endorsement, sequence of courses designed for the artistically gifted/talented student and offers the opportunity to concentrate on the Performing Arts and gain proficiency in chosen areas of concentration during the high school years, much as a Music or Theatre Major does in college. Upon completion of the prescribed course of study, a Performing Arts Endorsement shall be awarded to the student. This endorsement will accompany their official transcript, along with an explanation of the endorsement and its criteria, and will become applicable to university study or future professional endeavors. The Performing Arts Endorsement has been reviewed by both university and secondary administration. It has received praise for both its inclusiveness and its practicality. The School of Performing Arts was replaced in 2018 by the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts program. This program expands upon endorsements and allows visual arts to also receive credit, as the Performing Arts Endorsement only applied to performance arts, including film.
Performing Arts Endorsement Types
Instrumental - Band
Instrumental - Orchestra
Vocal Music
Piano Performance
Theatre Arts - Performance
Theatre Arts- Technical
Classical Guitar
Film
Note that IB Theatre and PAE are two different things but may also be done concurrently.
Athletics
Garland High School has one of the most profound legacies of any school in its district, with its football team having won several state championships during its lifetime. In addition to football, Garland High School offers baseball, basketball, cross country, Dashing Debs, golf, gymnastics, marching band, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball. Garland is the only high school in its district to offer a swimming team. Garland was part of the UIL Class 5A for the 2013–2014 school year, but has been reclassified under UIL Class 6A Region 2District 11 for the 2014–2015 school year and beyond.