. In 1881, the citizens of Galveston, authorized by the Legislative Act 1879 which specified that all cities of a certain size could initiate and maintain their own school system, organized a public
school district and elected a board of trustees. Some 20 teachers were employed to teach students in grades one through seven. Prior to this time, all education in Galveston was
private or
parochial. In the summer of 1883, a local dry goods businessman, George Ball, offered to finance the construction of new schools. Ball's offer was accepted, and the cornerstone for what would become
Ball High School was laid on February 15, 1884. Ball died on March 11, 1884, without seeing his gift completed.
Ball High School opened its doors to 200 pupils on October 1, 1884, with a building consisting of 12 classrooms, two offices and an auditorium. According to Gary Cartwright's "Galveston, A History of the Island", two aldermen pressured the school board to open the new school to all races. At first, the school board agreed to do that but changed its mind when Ball's heirs offered to give another $10,000 if the high school was only for white students. Susan Wiley Hardwick's ''
Mythic Galveston: Reinventing America's Third Coast'' documents that
Central High School was opened as a high school for black students in a storefront in 1885. Central High and Ball High merged into one high school in 1968. Public schools in Galveston were operated by the city from 1884 until 1949 when Galveston ISD was established by the
Texas Legislature.
Enrollment decline The enrollment declined by 1,147 from 1995 to 1996. In the 2000s skyrocketing home prices were created by the completion of many high-rise projects have forced many middle-class Galveston residents to move off of the island to many cities, including
Texas City,
League City, and
La Marque. Galveston ISD's tax base grew by 13% in 2005. Including all students, GISD lost 8% of its students (780) between the 2002–2003 school year and the 2006–2007 school year, with a 7% loss (610) in 2006. The district lost 12% of its students during the same years when
Hurricane Katrina evacuees and out-of-district students were excluded. translating to a loss of 10.6% of the district's total elementary school students. At the end of 2006, GISD's total enrollment was about 8,700. From 2006 to 2007 enrollment fell by 642. In January 2007 the middle schools had 934 vacant slots while the elementary schools had 834 vacant slots. The District Education Council approved a GISD plan to close multiple schools. On May 15, 2007, the
Houston Chronicle reported that the
League of United Latin American Citizens, in an attempt to prevent schools from closing, filed a complaint with the U.S. federal government asserting that GISD violated a desegregation order. Pat Guseman, an official with Pasa Demographics, predicted that GISD would lose about 1,468 students in the five years after 2007. The demographer, characterizing the change in Galveston demographics as "
Hamptonization", stated that economically disadvantaged children and
Hispanic children are increasing, while
African-American children are decreasing, as of 2007. Guseman cited increasing private school enrollment, increasing costs of housing, and a dearth of local employment as reasons for the loss of students in Galveston. Before
Hurricane Ike hit Galveston in September 2008, GISD had 7,900 students. After Ike hit Galveston, the district lost 25% of its total enrollment. Burnet and Scott Elementary Schools and Central Middle School received severe damage; the district said the schools would not open in fall 2009. In March 2009 GISD cut 163 positions, including 99 teaching positions; 40% of the total cut positions had already been vacant. In the fall of 2009, the district had 6,235 students, 1,665 fewer than the previous year. This was a 20% decrease from pre-Ike. The district had expected 6,000 students to be enrolled during the 2009–2010 school year; it had 235 more than expected. Some parents expressed concern about consolidating the middle schools, because Weis and Central had different student demographics, with Weis having a wealthier student body. Ending in the 2007–2008 school year, Galveston ISD operates: • Six elementary schools including grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5 • One school including grades Pre-Kindergarten through 8 • Three middle schools with grades 6 through 8 • One high school with grades 9 through 12 After spring 2008, Alamo Elementary School would be converted into a multi-purpose center. Starting in the 2008–2009 school year, Galveston ISD would operate four PreK-4 elementary schools and two K-4 elementary schools. Weis Middle School would become a 5–6 school. Central Middle School would become a 7–8 school. Austin Middle School would become a
magnet school for grades 5–8. Now GISD is configured in • 4 Pre-K through 4th grade elementary schools. • 2 K through 4th grade elementary schools. • 1 5th grade through 6th grade middle school. • 1 7th grade through 8th grade middle school. • 1 5th grade through 8th grade magnet school. • 1 9th grade through 12th grade high school.
Post-Hurricane Ike Galveston schools reopened in October 2008. ==GISD Police==