Harlingen High South

Campus History

• Our Campus Today
• Through the Years
• Campus Traditions
• Campus Awards & Honors
• Campus Leadership

Our Campus Today

Harlingen High School South boasts a solid record of academic, athletic and extracurricular achievements as well as high attendance and completion rates, and having 100% of graduating seniors accepted to their college of choice.

The campus is home to 1612 students in grades 9-12 with opportunities for students to pursue multiple House Bill 5 Endorsements.
 

Through the Years

In 1986, Harlingen CISD opened the new freshmen campus, Alamo Junior High School, to help ease overcrowding at Harlingen High School. In its first year, Alamo, whose mascot was the "Fighting Texans", boasted to having the largest freshman class in Texas.

The original building had been designed by Lubunski Associates Architects.  A dedication ceremony was held on May 3, 1987.

In 1986, Harlingen CISD opened the new freshmen campus, Alamo Junior High School, to help ease overcrowding at Harlingen High School. In its first year, Alamo, whose mascot was the "Fighting Texans", boasted to having the largest freshman class in Texas.

The original building had been designed by Lubunski Associates Architects.  A dedication ceremony was held on May 3, 1987.

Initial plans to serve only 9th graders were modified to include 10th graders in the 1988-1989 school year.  By 1993, the decision was made to make a four year high school out of the Alamo Campus.

In the history of Harlingen CISD, this was the third campus to carry the "Alamo" name.  The first was built in 1911-12 on W. Van Buren.  It was used as a school until 1930 and then demolished in 1975.  Seven years after the first Alamo campus was closed, in 1937, a new elementary campus was built at 501 South F Street and given the Alamo name.  By June 1963, Alamo Elementary had added to its main building and built two annexes and an auditorium.  This second Alamo campus, noted as a school for migrants, was closed in 1970 or 1971 and demolished in 1975. 

This Alamo campus' first principal was J. Glen Cleckler. In the summer of 1993, Harlingen South was born with Principal Guadalupe Nava guiding the the school's transformation from Alamo to South. Special committees created by the school board were tasked with the selection of the school’s name, mascot, motto, colors, Alma Mater, and fight song.

The class of 1994 was the first graduating class with over 350 seniors.  By 2002, South would be the largest 4A high school in the state.  Mr. Nava would remain at the helm until his retirement in 2010.  Dr. Joe Rodriguez was chosen as the fifth principal in the campus' 24 year history, beginning the 2010-11 school year with 2,200 9th through 12th graders and 200 staff members.

In 2010, Harlingen voters approved an HCISD bond which included plans for construction of a ninth grade campus to alleviate overcrowding at the two comprehensive high schools, Harlingen High and Harlingen South, and to meet the unique needs of ninth grade students.  That campus opened in August 2013, at which time Harlingen High School South became a 10th-12th grade campus.  Ninth graders continue to travel to South for specific extracurricular activities, but spend the majority of their academic day at the ninth grade campus, Dr. Cano Freshman Academy.