Coppell High School


Coppell High School is a public high school located in Coppell, Texas. It is part of the Coppell Independent School District located in extreme northwest Dallas County. In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.

Overview

The school graduated its first class of twenty-five students in 1965. As of the 2017-2018 school year, enrollment was 3,505 students in grades 9-12, however that number decreased in 2018-2019, as the school split the 9th grade to CHS9. There are over 200 staff members at Coppell High School to accommodate the student body of over 2500. Athletic teams are known as the "Cowboys" or "Cowgirls" for boys' and girls' teams, respectively. The school colors are red and black. The school slogan is #CHSRise. The principal is Laura Springer.
Coppell High School was named a 2001-02 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence due to the new SAS class. Coppell High School has been ranked consistently as one of the "Top 1200 U.S. High Schools."

Demographics

As of the 20172018 school year, the student population is made up of the following ethnicities out of 3,505 students.
As of the 2018-2019 school year, its student population is made up of the following grade levels: Sophomore, Junior, Senior

Recent news

The school's population has grown steadily in the past decade, prompting the Texas University Interscholastic League to upgrade Coppell High School from the 4A classification to 5A status for academic and athletic competition, and then again to 6A; they are currently placed in District 9-6A.
Coppell High School also changed their school schedule system starting in the 2017-2018 school year from a 7 period schedule to an 8 period modified block schedule. The exact schedule has changed year to year, but a modified block schedule employing 3 types of days with 4 classes per day on alternating "A" and "B" days and 8 classes on most Fridays is currently in place.
In 2006, Coppell High School underwent a strategic plan to unify students, staff members and the community within the large 5A school. As the strategic planning process continued in 2007, the decision was made at that point to implement thematic small learning communities, the career academies. More specifically, it allowed the students who signed up for it to attend academy specific classes that only academy students would be in and to have an elective period occupied by the chosen academy. The choices that were/are available are under the categories of the STEM Academy, the EMAC Academy, and the PSA Academy. Freshmen and Sophomores of the 2010 class were the first students to be able to join the Academies.
As of May 2015, Coppell High School was ranked 50th in the state of Texas, and 395th nationally by US News.

Academic achievements

Academic Decathlon

This program develops the Academic Prowess of students in 10 subjects: Art, Economics, History, Literature, Music, Math, Science, Speech, Interview and Essay writing.
Results:
2016 2nd place state / 2nd place USAD Online E-Nationals / 4th highest score USA
2015 4th place state / 7th highest score USA
2014 5th place state / 7th highest score USA

Coppell Solar

The Coppell Solar Racing Team is a group of students from the Coppell School of Engineering that has designed, built, and raced solar cars in the national high school solar car competition since 2008. The team finished 2nd in both the 2018 cross-country race and 2019 Electric-Solar Division race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Business Professionals of America

In 2008, 2009 and 2011 Coppell High School's Business Professionals of America chapters won the Best Chapter award at the State Leadership Conference.

Speech and debate

The debate squad travels nationally every year. The team has members who participate in public forum and policy debate, including the Lincoln-Douglas debate. During the 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011 school years, the debate squad qualified a policy team for the Tournament of Champions. During the 2011-2012 school year, one of the school's teams placed second at the 5A UIL State tournament, and the school often has students make it to elimination rounds of the TFA State tournament. In 2014, the debate squad had its top team place 7th at the National Speech and Debate Tournament for policy debate as well as qualify for the Tournament of Champions. In 2019, the policy debate squad's top team placed first at the TFA State tournament and made it to elimination rounds of the 2019 Tournament of Champions.
The speech team participates in a variety of interpretation events, platform speeches, original speeches, reading events, and limited preparation events. Students on the squad often qualify for regional and state competition, including TFA State.

Health Occupations Students of America

The Coppell HOSA Chapter was nationally recognized as an Outstanding HOSA Chapter for the 2013–2014 school year.
The Coppell HOSA Public Service Announcement team placed first in the State Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. The team attended the NLC in Anaheim, California in June 2015.

Student television program

KCBY-TV, the school's weekly media program, was nationally recognized as a Broadcast Pacemaker award winner in 2015 and 2017 by the National Scholastic Press Association. KCBY also received four Lone Star EMMY awards in November of 2019 for their accomplishments in KCBY-TV and KCBY-Español.

Coppell High School Band

The Coppell High School Band has won several awards in the past years. In 2000, after the school was reclassified as 5A, the band placed 12th in the 5A State Marching Contest. In 2001, the band participated in the 2001 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California representing the Southwest United States. In 2004, the band placed 11th in the 5A State Marching Contest.
Later that same year, the Lord Mayor of Dublin invited the marching band to participate in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. Two years later the band placed 7th in the 2006 State Marching Contest. The marching band's most recent 5A State Marching Contest was in 2012, where the band placed 5th. The latest national recognition earned by the program is "The Sudler Shield", awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. This award recognizes marching band programs throughout the world that reach a world class level of excellence in musical performance, marching execution, choreography and show design for high school, youth, or international marching bands.
Outside of its achievement on the marching field, the CHS Honor Band is a highly decorated program as well. The ensemble won the 1998 4A State Honor Band contest and was the first place runner-up in the 2002 5A State Honor Band contest. The CHS band has more All-State musicians than any program in Texas. The program has earned 1st Division ratings in UIL Concert and Sight Reading contests every year since 1993.
The Coppell Percussion program has also had successes independent of the Band. Each fall, the Coppell Percussion program performs in addition to the marching show, a separate drumline show. The percussion ensemble in 2013 won the elusive "Call for Tapes" at the Percussive Arts Society. The percussionists have also been awarded in numerous drum contests and placed 1st at the Plano Drumline Contest in 2016. The percussion program has also had many successes outside of marching and drumline. Several percussionists over the past few years have been selected through audition to perform at the Texas All-State Band. Many percussionists also have qualified to perform at the TSSEC solo and ensemble contest at the State round with a few winning "Outstanding Soloist" awards.
The Coppell High School Lariette Drill Team placed first at the Contest of Champions National Dance Competition in Orlando, FL in 2007.

Awards, events and recognition

CHS Band has won the following awards:
Choral groups from Coppell High School have won Sweepstake Trophies at UIL Concert and Sight Reading Contests. In 2014, Coppell High School's chamber choir, Madrigals, performed in the East Room of the White House. The 2015 A Cappella Choir was declared the grand champion of the Festival di Voce competition and was chosen to sing at the South West American Choral Director's Association Convention in the Spring of 2016.

Athletics

The Coppell Cowboys and Cowgirls compete in the University Interscholastic League as 6A teams in the following sports:
The Coppell High School hockey team won the state championship in 2003 and in 2020. In 2008 the team won the Summer League Championship.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is organized by the Texas High School Lacrosse League rather than the UIL. Coppell's lacrosse team has won three state THSLL championships: 2009 and 2010 in Division 2, and 2011 in Division 1.

Volleyball

The Coppell Cowgirls volleyball team won back to back state championships in 2011 and 2012.

Soccer

The Coppell Cowboys soccer team won the 5A state championship in 2004 and 2013, and the 6A state championship in 2016. The Coppell Cowgirls soccer team won the 5A state championship in 2009, and the 6A state championship in 2015.

Ultimate frisbee

The Coppell Cowboys Ultimate team won the 5A state championship in 2012 and 2013.

Notable alumni