Denison High School

Denison High School
Location
4200 N Hwy 91

Denison
,
Texas
75020-6899

United States

33°47′07″N 96°33′06″W / 33.7854015°N 96.5516574°W / 33.7854015; -96.5516574
Information
School typePublic high school
Established1914
School district
Denison Independent School District
Principal
Cavin Boettger
Teaching staff
102.81 (FTE)
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,351 (October 2025)
Student to teacher ratio
12.84
Colors    Black & Gold
Athletics conference
UIL Class AAAAA (5A)
MascotYellow Jacket
RivalSherman High School
YearbookThe Yellow Jacket
Websitedenisonhs.denisonisd.net

Denison High School is a public high school in Denison, Texas, United States and classified as a 5A school by the University Interscholastic League (UIL). It is part of the Denison Independent School District located in north central Grayson County. For the 2025-2026 school year, the school was given an "A" accountability rating by the Texas Education Agency.

History

Denison High School's predecessor was the Educational Institute. Built in 1873, the Educational Institute was the first free, graded school in Texas. In 1914, Denison High School opened on the east side of the same city block on Main Street, replacing the Educational Institute.

In 1954, a Denison High School campus opened on Mirick Street, and the 1914 building was converted to Denison Junior High School.

In 2014, a new Denison High School campus was opened near the corner of US 75 and TX-91 north of town. The 1954 building was converted to Henry Scott Middle School with grades 7-8, named after Denison ISD's long-time superintendent.

Athletics

The Denison Yellow Jackets compete in these sports -

Volleyball, Cross Country, Football, Basketball, Powerlifting, Swimming, Soccer, Golf, Track, Tennis, Softball & Baseball.

State titles

Denison (UIL)

  • Football -
    • 1984(4A)

Denison Terrell (PVIL)

  • Football -
    • 1947(PVIL-1A)^, 1948(PVIL-1A)

^Co-Champions

State finalists

Denison (UIL)

  • Football -
    • 1995(4A), 1996(4A), 1997(4A)

Rivalry

Denison High School and neighboring Sherman High School have had a long-standing football rivalry dating back to 1901. Each year, the schools play for "The Battle of the Ax" in which an engraved ax is awarded to the winner. William B. Hempkins led Denison for the first four years running as battle of the ax champions. 84 years later his great-grandson Daniel K Jones led Denison to its next consecutive four years wins against Sherman, and continued his winning streak (12-0) his senior year to win the Texas State Championship against Dallas Carter winning 46–17. This is the longest continuous rivalry among all high schools in the state of Texas.

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 "DENISON H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  2. ↑ "TEA". rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Two Schools on Main Street: The Pride of Denison, Texas…". Goodreads. Retrieved September 30, 2026.
  4. ↑ The Athletics Department
  5. ↑ Lone Star Football Network
  6. ↑ "UIL Centennial Webpage". Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  7. ↑ UIL Football Archives
  8. ↑ "Battle of the Axe". Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  9. ↑ Tongish, Dawn (January 16, 2009). "'Hero on the Hudson' Pilot grew up in North Texas". Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: The 33 News. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Welcome to Denison ISD". Denison Independent School District. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Singer from Denison releases debut album". www.kten.com. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  12. ↑ "From Denison to the NFL, Jordan Taylor makes Broncos 53-man roster". www.kxii.com. September 3, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Jadarian Price Recruit Interests". 247 Sports. Retrieved August 31, 2024.