Graduates throw their caps at Allen High School’s graduation ceremony on May 23, 2026, at Eagle Stadium in Allen.
Photo provided
For the nearly 1,800 students who graduated from Allen High School last week, the commencement ceremony represented the culmination of their educational journeys up to now.
For the district leaders and school employees who made the ceremony happen, it marked the end of a year of planning — and the beginning of another.
The 1,772 members of Allen High School’s Class of 2026 robed in Eagle blue caps and gowns crossed the stage May 23 at Eagle Stadium. The commencement ceremony garnered broad attention on social media last week after state Rep. Jeff Leach, a Collin County Republican, posted on X that the school’s Class of 2026 was “the largest graduating class of the year in America, and one of the top 5 biggest graduating classes in American history.”
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District officials couldn’t confirm that Allen High claimed the title of largest graduating class in the country. But Brooklyn Technical High School, the nation’s largest single-campus high school, had a 2026 graduating class of about 1,500 students, about 200 fewer than Allen High School.
About 20,000 students were enrolled in Allen ISD this year, making the district about half the size of neighboring Plano ISD and a third as big as Frisco ISD. Unlike those districts, Allen ISD has only one high school. That means Allen High School consistently ranks as one of the nation’s biggest high schools in terms of enrollment.
Race Hinkle, Allen High School’s associate principal of operations, said planning for a graduation ceremony of that size is a year-round effort. Just days after this year’s flipped their tassels, school leaders are already planning for next year, he said. This week, school leaders held a debriefing to talk through what went well at this year’s ceremony and what could be tweaked or improved for next year.
Drones form an eagle during a drone show at Allen High School’s graduation ceremony on May 23, 2026, at Eagle Stadium in Allen.
Photo provided
In August, about the time students return to school, planning for next year’s commencement ceremony will begin in earnest, he said. District leaders will have to develop seating charts, work with the communications department on plans for the program and coordinate with the athletic department to make sure the stadium is ready, he said.
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Aside from the recognition of this year’s graduates, the ceremony also included a video highlighting moments from graduates’ senior year, a fireworks display and a drone show. Justin Colvard was at the stadium to see his son, Colton, graduate. The drone show was especially impressive, he said, and it seemed to be a special moment for most of the families in the crowd.
It took just over two hours for every student to cross the stage and receive their diplomas. School leaders called students up in groups based on the first letters of their last names. The crowd was enthusiastic throughout the ceremony, Colvard said, but cheering crescendoed when the final group came up to the stage.
“They said, ‘All right, W-Z, line up,’ and everybody just started screaming,” he said.
Larressa Cochran, of Anna, came to the ceremony to watch two family members graduate. The atmosphere was exciting, like at a football game, she said.
At the same time, she said, the event was long. School leaders did a good job of moving through the names quickly without hurrying students off the stage, she said, but there was no avoiding the time it took to get through all 1,772 graduates.
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David Hicks, the district’s assistant superintendent for communications and community engagement, said the main goal behind the months of planning is to make sure the event runs as smoothly as possible. If everything goes as planned, students and their families are unaware of those efforts, he said.
“Any graduation ceremony for any high school, it takes a lot of work,” he said. “But when you’re talking about Allen High School and having 1,700 graduates and a stadium full of happy, excited families and friends, there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make sure that it is a seamless event.”
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
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