Elementary

McKinney ISD’s Roy Lee Walker Elementary, the first sustainable design school in Texas and widely regarded as the most energy-efficient and environmentally sound school ever built, opened in 2000. Since that time, McKinney has become home to three more environmentally friendly schools.

• Sustainable building materials were used in the buildings’ construction
• Vertical monitors in each room "scoop" sunlight to provide natural lighting throughout the building
• Light and motion detectors monitor energy usage
• Cisterns surround each school and provide storage for collected rainwater, which is used to irrigate the sites’ landscaping
• Windmills harness wind energy which is used to circulate harvested rainwater
• Solar panels supply a majority of each school’s hot water needs
• Water habitat and natural landscaping reduce the schools’ impact on the surrounding ecosystem
• On-site garden areas allow students to learn sustainable practices in a hands-on setting