Cy-Fair ISD's first high school reaches 75th anniversary

Nearly every student in the 1950s was the child of a farmer or a teacher, according to historical records maintained by the district. Results of a 1952 survey revealed the average student woke up at 3 a.m. to milk dairy cows, rode the bus to school for a full day of classes, practiced football after school, returned home to milk the cows once more and then went to bed.

CFISD’s agriculture and rodeo program launched in 1944 and brought in $12,000 in 1950, officials said. Last year, the annual livestock show garnered more than $900,000.

Wayne Richardson, who started ninth grade at Cy-Fair High School in 1961, spoke at the event about his time in the FFA program working on old Army equipment to move the Cy-Fair rodeo across the street.

“The rodeo was very important to a lot of people, and it really put us on the map,” he said. “I thought I was going to join and ride a horse, ride a bull. But a lot of work went on, and I really learned how to work.”

Over the years, CFISD students have gotten a reputation for being respectful and polite, former Cy-Fair High School Principal Mike Smith said.

“It’s those legacies of never giving up, being kind to our neighbors, supporting each other—that’s what makes Cy-Fair High School great,” he said.