BREAKING: Midland ISD Votes to Revert Legacy High School Back to Lee

Midland ISD just became the first school district in the State of Texas to reinstate a Confederate-linked name, voting Tuesday night to revert Midland Legacy High School back to Midland Lee in a 4-3 vote at a special meeting. The change will take effect in the 2026-27 school year.

Robert E. Lee High School, named after the Confederate general, was opened in 1961 as a segregated campus. Midland Lee became a football powerhouse in the decades that followed, winning three consecutive state championships from 1998-2000 behind legendary running back Cedric Benson. The high schools' athletic program unified the town, but the name garnered more scrutiny than ever after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the wave of national protests against racial injustice. That July, Midland ISD approved dropping the Lee moniker in favor of Legacy, which has served as the name for five academic calendars.