Amarillo’s High Schools: Fascinating History You Didn’t Learn in Class

If there is one thing about Amarillo, it is that this city is privileged to have four amazing high schools. High Schools provide our kids with a good education and a beginning to a great future. Amarillo currently has four high schools within the city limits and under the Amarillo ISD umbrella. Many of these schools were founded in the mid-20th century.

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Here are some interesting facts you may not know about the high schools in Amarillo.

Tascosa High School

Founded in 1958, the original mascot was a goat—yep, they were known as the Tascosa Goats! However, in the 1960s, the mascot changed to General Reb and, in 1974, to what it is now: The Rebel Kid!

Caprock High School

• Caprock High School was originally known as Coronado High School.
• Caprock is divided into four houses, the houses are by grade level where the core classes for each grade are housed.

Amarillo High School

• Amarillo High School was established in 1889 in a converted courthouse. Eventually, a new Amarillo High School was constructed on Polk Street, but it burned down in 1970. The school was then moved and rebuilt to its current location on Danbury off Bell Street.
• NASA Astronaut Rick Husband graduated from Amarillo High School.
• In 1908, Amarillo HS had a school newspaper called The Cap Rock, it was later changed to La Airosa News, and then The Sandstorm in 1923.

Palo Duro High School

• First campus-style school in Amarillo.
• A school shooting took place after a pep rally in 1992, where 6 students were injured and thankfully they all recovered.  The shooter served 8 years in prison.
• Home of Ziggy Hood who graduated in 2005 and played in the NFL.  He was with the Pittsburgh Steelers for 10 seasons.  After retiring from the NFL in 2018, Ziggy Hood returned to Palo Duro High School in 2021 to coach and teach.