| Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District | |
| Grades: | Pre-K - 12 |
| Faculty: | 7,659.35 |
| Enrollment: | 114,881 (2020–2021) |
| Address: | 11440 Matzke Road |
| Zipcode: | 77429 |
| Country: | USA |
The Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD, often referred to as Cy-Fair) is an independent school district with its headquarters in Cypress, Texas, United States.[1] Cy-Fair ISD is the largest Recognized school district in the state of Texas with 75 out of 78 campuses receiving an 'Exemplary' or 'Recognized' rating by the Texas Education Agency in 2010.[2]
The district covers a small portion of Houston (including the Fairbanks section), the city of Jersey Village, and other unincorporated areas in Harris County (including Cypress).[3] [4] The district covers 186sqmi of land.[5]
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD is part of the taxation base for Lone Star College System (formerly North Harris Montgomery Community College District).[6]
In August 2023, the district had 95 general-purpose campuses (fifty-eight elementary schools, twenty middle schools, thirteen high schools, and four special program facilities).[7]
The first official classes in the area were held in a church. However, in 1884, local residents built a one-room house on donated land.[8] In 1939, an election was held in which voters in the Cypress and Fairbanks school systems approved the creation of the Cypress-Fairbanks Consolidated School District; the measure passed by a vote of 129-66 in Cypress and 90-87 in Fairbanks.[9]
The two individuals most frequently credited for the creation of Cypress-Fairbanks Consolidated School District (CSD was changed to ISD in the early 1960s) were Trustee J. F. Bane, of the Fairbanks school system, and Superintendent E. A. Millsap (1932–1942), of the Cypress school system.
Since 2006, Children at Risk, a non-profit organization based in Houston, publishes its "Annual School Rankings" which ranks Houston metropolitan area schools using a formula going beyond the state’s school accountability system, using traditional indicators such as whether students passed state exams, drop-out and graduation rates along with less commonly used indicators such as counseling and poverty intervention.[10] In 2012, Children at Risk evaluated and ranked 150 high schools in the greater Houston area and 8 CyFair-ISD high schools (out of a total of 10) appeared in the rankings.[11] Additionally, Cypress Ridge High School ranked fifth among Greater Houston’s Best Urban, Comprehensive High Schools.
During the wake of the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, Texan schools were all told to assess security measures for the protection of students, teachers, and staff in schools. In response to this, CFISD did so by adding bullet resistant glass, man traps, lock-down buttons, intruder locks for classroom doors, walls to schools that were previously open-concept, and signs that remind people to not leave their doors open for many of their schools.[12]
In 2022 the district began requiring parental permission for students to check books out of school libraries.[13]
By the 2006-2007 school year, the district was the third largest in Texas with more than 70 campuses and 100,603 students.[9]
In the 2010-2011 school year the district had over 106,000 students. Of them, 42.5% were Hispanic, 31% were White, 15.5% were Black, 8% were Asian, and others included Native Americans and people of two or more races.[14]
In the 2017-2018 school year, district enrollment reached 116,138 students.[15]
In 2009, in the midst of budget deficits caused by decreased state funding, the board voted to only have school bus services for a resident who lives more than two miles from his or her school, as opposed to having service for residents living more than one mile away. Activity (late) bus service was also discontinued for most CFISD schools.[16] Bus service continued and was expanded to accommodate student mothers, delivering mothers and their children to schools and district funded daycares on campus. If a student has to cross a major street then bus service is available even if the student lives within 2 miles of the school. Starting in the beginning of 2013-2014 school year, activity (late) bus service are back for most CFISD schools and in the 2014 CFISD Bond, the board voted to bring back school bus services for residents living more than one mile away starting in the 2014-2015 school year.[17]
There are 12 high schools in unincorporated Harris County and one in Jersey Village, a total of 13 high schools in the district.
The current headquarters is in Cypress,[1] and is known as the Mark Henry Administration Building. In 2023, administrative departments moved buildings.[19]
The previous district headquarters was in northwest unincorporated Harris County.[20] [21] It was the 136000square feet Instructional Support Center (ISC), a former shopping center that was previously owned by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The district purchased it for $1.4 million, with the previous tenants being a part of the CFISD agreement to purchase the building. After the purchase, CFISD renovated 123000square feet of the facility. The district had spent $9 million to build its previous headquarters on Windfern Road, which had opened in 1978.[22]