Stafford Municipal School District

The city of Stafford, or Stafford’s point, was settled by William Stafford in the early 1820s. The settlers organized a place for their children to go to school, and by the 1830s, a one-room school was available with ten students attending. Later, classes were held in the local blacksmith shop. In 1895, the first official school was built on Louisiana Street in Missouri City with seven grades and one teacher. Students from Stafford, Missouri City and surrounding areas attended the Missouri City School District which was formally organized in 1938. In 1959, the Missouri City School District and Sugar Land School District consolidated to form the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD). In 1976, a FBISD decision to reduce bus transportation for schoolchildren prompted the Stafford City Council to consider separating from the district to create a municipal school district, an extremely rare occurrence. As required, Stafford citizens presented a petition to the mayor and City Council calling for an election to form a municipal school district. The election was held, and the vote was approved on January 15, 1977. The State of Texas Commissioner of Education investigated and upheld the vote. FBISD appealed the decision to the Federal District Court where a judge ruled in favor of FBISD. On July 30, 1981, the Fifth Circuit Court of appeals in New Orleans ruled that Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD) was constitutional. Work quickly began to establish an exceptional educational environment for Stafford. on August 26, 1982, SMSD started grades kindergarten through 5th and the next year added 6th through 11th grades. SMSD had its first graduating class in May 1985.

Stafford Municipal School District is a historical marker in Stafford, Fort Bend County, dedicated in 2016. It is one of 88 historical markers documented in Fort Bend County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 224 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.6015, -95.5435 near Stafford. The nearest cataloged historic site is Varney-Packer Family (cemetery), about 0.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Farmer's Improvement Society, Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado, First Railroad in Texas, and Stafford Plantation.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507018362. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.