Plano 150: Plano Education through the Years

2023 marks Plano’s 150^th anniversary, and the Genealogy Center at Haggard Library is hosting displays to celebrate! The first display examines Plano education through the years.  

Plano schools started in 1882 with the founding of the Plano Institute. The city bought the school in 1891 and took over operations. These first public school buildings did not survive due to fire or being torn down, however, photographs in the display show these buildings. There are also photographs showing students dating back to the early 1900s. The 1934 Plano Wildcat Letter Sweater, baseball cap, and freshman beanie on display are a great way to compare how students dressed at the time compared to the fashions of 2023. 

The Archives in the Genealogy Center is home to all the yearbooks from the original Plano High School as well as Plano Senior High, Plano East and Plano West. Although not a comprehensive collection like the senior high yearbooks, there are several yearbooks from the University of Plano, and many high schools, middle schools and elementary schools’ yearbooks in the Archives too.  

Many of the items in the displays can be explored in greater depth on Collin County Images. Search using the term School and see all the items pertaining to Plano or Collin County schools. The yearbooks up to 1973 are also available online at Collin County Images.