J. J. Pearce High School

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J. J. Pearce High School
Address
Map
1600 North Coit Road

Richardson
,
Dallas County
,
Texas
75080

United States
Coordinates32°58′21″N 96°45′58″W / 32.972559°N 96.766106°W / 32.972559; -96.766106
Information
TypeHigh School/secondary school
Established1967
School districtRichardson Independent School District
PrincipalCarrie Breedlove
Teaching staff161.23 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,453 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio15.21[1]
Color(s)  Royal Blue
  Red
MascotMustang
WebsiteOfficial Website

J. J. Pearce High School is a high school located in Richardson, Texas, United States. Pearce serves students in grade 9-12, and is one of four high schools in the Richardson Independent School District (RISD). The school is named after Joseph Jones “J.J.” Pearce, the RISD superintendent from 1946 to 1977.[2]

History

Pearce was established in 1967 with a group of tenth graders housed at Richardson North Junior High School. Prior to 1967, all high school students in the Pearce area attended Richardson High School. In 1969, the school moved to its current home on Coit Road; the campus has been expanded several times since. Along with Berkner High School, it is one of two RISD high schools to have a natatorium. While Pearce hosts a natatorium, Eagle-Mustang Stadium is shared with Richardson High School. An indoor training facility was built in 2018 to accommodate Pearce athletes.

The graduating class of 1987 was reunited on the TV Land original program High School Reunion, which premiered on March 5, 2008.

Pearce was named a National Blue Ribbon School for the 1988-1989 school year.[3]

In September 2017, two Pearce students were accused of creating racist memes during the week leading up to the school's annual in-town rivalry football game against Richardson High School. The most controversial meme depicted the Pearce High School logo over KKK members and the Richardson High School logo over a burning cross. Each student served an out of school suspension.[4]

In 2021, voters in Richardson ISD approved a $750 million dollar bond package, with a substantial amount dedicated to Pearce campus renovations. The renovations are expected to be completed by August 2024.[5]

Academics

Newsweek ranked Pearce at #528 in the top 1,000 high schools in the nation. Schools were ranked based on the number of students who took Advanced Placement courses and AP tests.

In 2009, the state classified 81% of Pearce's graduates as "college ready", or ready to undergo university studies. The State of Texas defined "college readiness" by scores on the ACT and SAT, and in the 11th grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests. During the same year, the school's student body had 22% poor students, and 27% of its students had a risk of dropping out. Holly K. Hacker of The Dallas Morning News said that the readiness rate was about 20 points higher than statistics would predict, and that the school "far exceeds what is expected."[6]

J.J. Pearce High School was a recognized school in 2007-2008 as well.

Theater

Lynn Shaw directed Pearce's theater program for 25 years until her death in 2009.[7] Now directed by Heather Biddle, the program has received numerous nominations, awards, and recognitions both in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex and across the country.[8][9][10] Additionally, the program has been chosen to premiere multiple high school adaptations of Broadway musicals. On September 15, 2016, the school hosted the world premiere of the high school edition of Heathers: The Musical.[11][12][13] On October 23 of 2022, J. J. Pearce piloted the High School version of Mean Girls: The Musical. In June 2023, the same cast performed the show at the International Thespian Festival in Bloomington, Indiana.[10][14]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ a b c "PEARCE HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  2. ^ Elkind, Peter (October 12, 1995). "The forgotten man". Dallas Observer. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002" (PDF). ed.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  4. ^ de Bruijn, Eline (September 29, 2017). "2 J.J. Pearce students blamed for racist meme showing football rival burning on a cross". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  5. ^ Webster, Teri (June 9, 2021). "First round of J.J. Pearce High School renovations to begin after Richardson ISD board approves cost". Dallas News. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Hacker, Holly K. "Analysis shows true Texas high school performance, stripping away socioeconomic factors." The Dallas Morning News. September 3, 2011. Retrieved on February 10, 2012.
  7. ^ "Lynn Shaw: Popular J.J. Pearce High School theater teacher". wfaa.com. October 19, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  8. ^ Churnin, Nancy (March 14, 2016). "Guyer's 'Poppins' and Pearce's 'Singin' in the Rain' lead DSM HSMTA noms". Dallas News. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  9. ^ Churnin, Nancy (April 9, 2018). "Here are the 2018 Dallas Summer Musicals High School Musical Theatre Awards nominees". Dallas News. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Announcing the 2023 ITF Main Stage Lineup - Educational Theatre Association". schooltheatre.org. March 27, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Reinhart, Brian. "High Schoolers Adapt Dark Teen Film Heathers Into a Musical and Earn National Attention". Dallas Observer. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Churnin, Nancy (September 12, 2016). "Song from world premiere of 'Heathers 101: High School Edition,' opening Thursday at Pearce HS". dallasnews.com.
  13. ^ Gioia, Michael (September 13, 2016). "How and Why Heathers Got Remade for High School". Playbill.com.
  14. ^ Weeks, Jerome (June 12, 2023). "These North Texas high schoolers rehearsed in a locker room. Now they're headed to a national stage". KERA News. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  15. ^ "Nets sign G Leaguer Timme to multiyear deal". ESPN.com. March 28, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2025.