History
Maypearl ISD is located in Maypearl, Texas, 76064. It serves the City of Maypearl, as well as areas in the county with Waxahachie, Venus, Grandview, and Midlothian addresses, along with the unincorporated communities of Auburn, Bee Creek, Greathouse, Buena Vista, Oak Branch, Ozro, and Griffith.
Maypearl ISD, which was founded in 1904, is the fifth oldest school district in Ellis county.
1. Milford ISD - 1850s
2. Ennis ISD - 1881
3. Waxahachie ISD - 1884
4. Avalon ISD - 1887
5. Maypearl ISD - 1904
6. Midlothian ISD - 1906
7. Palmer ISD - 1910
8. Ferris ISD - 1911
9. Red Oak ISD - 1912
10. Italy ISD - 1925
The Maypearl ISD WPA building is the fourth oldest public school building in the county.
1. Alamo Middle School (Ennis) - 1916
2. Global High School (Waxahachie) - 1918
3. Avalon Elementary - 1936
4. Maypearl ISD administration - 1939
5. Ferris ISD administration - 1940
6. Milford School - 1940
7. Italy High School Coliseum - 1948
8. Midlothian Gym - 1950
9. Palmer Middle School - 1970s
10. Red Oak Middle School - 1976
Maypearl ISD History: Eyrie, which existed 2 miles south of Maypearl from 1894-1903, had a community school called Glenco. Eyrie was located where the present day S curve is on FM 66, while the Glenco school was located just south of Eyrie on the corner of Brindley Road and present day FM 66, on the southern side of Brindley Road. A year after Maypearl was founded, the community realized the need for a school. The Maypearl school was established in 1904 in a 4 room school house on the western side of Claunch Street between Third and Fourth Street. This school not only served the community of Maypearl, but provided high school education to the nearby communities of Auburn, Bee Creek, Greathouse, Buena Vista, Oak Branch, Ozro, and Griffith, which are reflected in its modern day boundaries. These communities only had one room schoolhouses, that taught up to 7th grade.
The 1904 building lasted until 1912, when it burnt down. In 1913, a new 8 classroom building was constructed further west, at the end of West Third Street past Phillips street. A desire path-turned street formed in front of the building, and is now called Panther Lane. This building had 2 and 1/2 floors. Elementary classes were on one level, with an entrance on the southern end, high school on another, with an entrance on the northern end, and an auditorium on the third story. This building was a sister building to the Red Oak school, which was also built in 1913. The Red Oak school burnt down in 1963. The Maypearl school lasted until 1938 at which point it was torn down in controversy due to severe disrepair and lack of indoor plumbing. Via President Franklin D. Roosevelts WPA program, Maypearl ISD was granted funding and employees to construct a new building atop the old basement and using some of the old materials. This building was built 1938-1939, featured 10 classrooms, a gymnatorium, a cafeteria (now a classroom), a library (now a classroom), and is still standing today. During construction, classes were held in downtown buildings. The red brick from the 1913 building is present on the back end of the WPA building (protected by white stucco added in 2019), as well as in the back stage area, underneath the paint in the gym, and behind the exterior flower beds. This building was divided into elementary classes on the South end of the building and High school classes on the North end. Grades 1st-8th shared a classroom in this fashion: 1st & 2nd (in present day classroom 14), 3rd & 4th, 5th & 6th, with 7th & 8th grade being included in elementary some years, while being considered high school in others. In late 1973, the first elementary school was completed in Maypearl ISD and took occupation in January of 1974, serving grades 1st-6th. This building featured a front office, a set of restrooms, and 8 classrooms with floor to ceiling windows. The construction of this building allowed for the WPA building to become a Junior and Senior High School (7th-12th). This arrangement lasted until 1976, at which point the “Quad” was constructed by the southwestern side of the gym, housing 6th-8th grades. It featured 4 classrooms and a set of restrooms. The current cafeteria of this campus was constructed in 1980, with low ceilings and narrow floor to ceiling windows. The exterior of the buildings boasts a brick facade and metal walls on the sides. 9th-12th grades vacated the WPA campus in January of 1987, when the tilt-wall high school and a new baseball field were completed. This allowed the WPA building to become the Middle School (6th-8th). In the summer of 1987, the soil began to shift underneath the new school and the slab foundation cracked in several places. This later left the gymnasium unusable. The board sued the architect and builder, winning the jury trial and being awarded the largest settlement in Texas at the time. However, the visiting judge ruled and overturned the jury verdict and the school district ultimately lost the case. In 1993, superintendent W.G. Roesler proposed the idea to construct a new high school gymnasium, along with a true football stadium, and in 1994 both projects were completed. The football field was later named in his honor. In 1997, a new AG facility was built for the high school, allowing the previous one behind the WPA building to be the transportation lot and maintenance/operations. Both the gym and AG facility were built further out west due to concerns of potential underground aquifers causing stability issues. In the fall of 1998, an addition on the High School allowed for 6th-8th grades to move over to the 1987 portion of the high school campus, establishing the whole WPA campus as an elementary (PK-5th), with the lower grades still being on the South end of the campus and the higher on the North. This lasted until the fall of 2002, at which point the Intermediate (current Middle School) was built, pulling 4th and 5th from the elementary, along with 6th from the Secondary campus. In the fall of 2006, LSK took occupation (PK-4th), leaving 5th and 6th in the intermediate school. In 2007, the new AG facility was completed, which allowed for the 1997 facility to be renovated into the Field House, later named in memorial of Athletic Director Mike Farda. In 2010, a band hall addition was completed on the North end of the intermediate school, 5th grade was moved over to LSK, 7th grade moved into the intermediate building, and it was renamed Maypearl Middle School, while the secondary school signage changed to Maypearl High School once again. In the fall of 2012, 8th grade moved over to the middle school campus. 5th grade remained at LSK until 2014, at which point it was moved over to the WPA campus, along with 6th grade from the middle school to create an Intermediate campus once again, and the middle school campus was renamed Maypearl Junior High. Also in 2014, the 1973 elementary building became the current indoor Golf facility and transportation/maintenance/operations office after thorough asbestos abatement and a new roof. In 2019, rearrangement of campuses moved 5th grade back over to LSK, 6th grade over to the junior high campus, and moved Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade over to the WPA building, establishing a Primary School. The junior high campus was then named Maypearl Middle School once again. In 2021, 2 portables were added to the middle school. In 2023, Maypearl ISD passed a $35 million bond to replace the tilt-wall side of the high school and convert it into administration, renovate the two-story portion of the high school, convert the high school cafetorium into CTE classrooms, including Floral Design in the backstage right area and culinary in the existing lunch line, add two science labs and three classrooms to the middle school, replace all carpet in LSK, replace all air conditioners that are defunct and/or over 20 years old, and replace asphalt pavement with concrete.
However, some plans of the bond have changed, since in November 2024, the district became aware of air quality concerns on the Primary campus, specifically elevated levels of CO2 throughout the main building. The issue was first discovered in classroom 7, at which point monitors were put in each classroom throughout the campus. Temporary measures were put in place to dilute the air, such as opening windows and propping classroom doors open, but they compromised district safety standards and could not be effective long term. The extent of the work that needs to be carried out on the air conditioners, which has an indefinite timeline, and termite damage to the wood floors in room 4 (counselors office), classroom 6, and room 8 (ERRCS/network room) is extensive, which caused the campus to be dissolved at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. This is in time for the 2023 bond projects to be complete, which adds capacity to the middle school and high school. Lorene Smith Kirkpatrick Elementary will gain 2 portable classrooms and house grades Pre-K through 4th. Pre-K will be in the portables, Kindergarten in the former Pre-K/Kindergarten-turned-board room/administration hall, 1st and 2nd grade on the first floor of the two-story portion, and 3rd and 4th on the second floor. Maypearl Middle School will house grades 5th through 8th, with 5th and 6th grade being in the southern hall (5th grade being closest to LSK), 7th in the northern hall with the band hall, and 8th in the new hall. 6th grade will take the existing science lab, while 7th and 8th will take the new labs. Lunches will remain separate by grade, and 5th grade will operate on a separate bell schedule with separate PE periods. Maypearl High School will retain grades 9th through 12th. Administration will move into the WPA building, while plans are uncertain for the tilt-wall portion of the high school. Around 2028, that portion of the high school could potentially be demolished in favor of a new gymnasium, but that is dependent on enrollment and bonding capacity.
