Sunnyvale ISD

It was 1885 and Thomas Pendleton Tinsley was remodeling the new store purchased at the corner of what is now Belt Line Road and Town East Boulevard – the one that he would eventually sell to Mr. Frank Ellis. Thomas – one of many new settlers to our community – called the store his “New Hope.”  And that’s how the little town of New Hope got its name. 

Seventy years later that small community, named after one man’s hopes and dreams, joined with three other small neighborhoods - Hattersville, Long Creek and Tripp -- to make what  we now  call our home – the Town of Sunnyvale. 

Schools in the four communities merged on February 26, 1956 to form Sunnyvale ISD. These four schools united to create Sunnyvale School for students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. Students, at this time, attended high school in the Mesquite Independent School District.

And from that point on, Sunnyvale has been built on even more hope. 

The hope for a safe and bright future for all our residents. 

The hope for a place where families can raise their kids. 

The hope for a community that values schools that help every student and teacher succeed. 

Sunnyvale ISD operated for many years as a Kindergarten - 8th grade school districts, with students attending high school in Mesquite ISD or Forney ISD. A middle school was added in 2001. In May 2007, voters in the Town of Sunnyvale passed a $25 million bond package for a high school facility. Construction on the 110,000 square foot facility began in April 2008. During the construction phase, the freshmen and sophomore classes were accommodated at Sunnyvale Middle School. The Class of 2011 - the district's first-ever graduating class - began their junior year in the brand new high school facility in August of 2009, along with the incoming freshman and sophomore classes of that school year.

Since that time, SISD had grown dynamically and continues to do so. A new elementary campus was built and students began learning in this state-of-the-art facility in 2012. A middle school expansion and innovative learning wing was added in 2016. In August of 2018, a new dining hall opened at SHS and the stadium was expanded and upgraded to accommodate all Raider Fans, including the installation of a visitor's side concession stand. In December of 2019, the Sunnyvale community gathered to raise the curtains on the long-awaited SISD auditorium - fine arts space built to house Sunnyvale's excellent fine arts program. In August of 2019, an innovative learning expansion to SHS opened along with the state-of-the-art Sunnyvale Intermediate School. The grand opening was held on Aug. 17. Well over 500 attended the dedication of this uniquely innovative and award-winning facility. 

Since 2006, the district has more than quadrupled in size, from 500 students to nearly 2,270.  

Even though Sunnyvale has grown and changed over the years, our hope for the future has remained constant.

In the years since our first graduating class, our students have outpaced Texas and national averages on the SAT and ACT test. Our older students are earning an average of 20 hours of college credit while still in high school, thanks to our Collegiate Dual-Credit program. 

We’ve earned state championships in baseball, girls’ basketball (with a second runners-up trip to state, too) girls’ track and all our Raider programs annually represent Sunnyvale in the playoffs. We’ve racked up state awards in academic UIL and choir competition. 

Our stellar fine arts program is considered among the best in Texas Class 4A. Our teachers are highly qualified experts in their fields, bringing talent and enthusiasm to their classrooms. And, our administration has won numerous awards for responsibly managing our district’s finances. In fact, for 16 years in a row, Sunnyvale ISD has earned the highest rating possible from the Texas Education Agency Financial Integrity Rating System.

RAIDERS RISE

Source 
A Stake in the Prairie, Mesquite Texas. (1984). [Mesquite, Tex.]" Mesquite Historical Committee