[9] The plan stipulates that all schools must adhere to the ethnicity ratios established by the courts while not exceeding the student capacities of each individual campus.

[10] Garland ISD has the only "free choice system" in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and in the United States of America.

[citation needed] The change in demographics, with GISD's student body becoming about 50% Hispanic and Latino by 2013, interfered with the ethnicity bands set in the 1980s.

GISD operates Spanish and Vietnamese bilingual programs, the latter only being available at grades PK-3 at 10 elementary schools and Parsons PreK.

Although the facility replaced Southern Methodist University's Moody Coliseum as Garland ISD's primary location to host the district's commencement exercises in May 2005, the 190,000-square-foot (18,000 m2) complex was formally completed in August 2005.

[27] On February 26, 2016 during a presentation at Coyle Middle School, students held up signs saying, “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe,” and “The Whole System Is Guilty.” In response, the Rowlett police chief Mike Broadnax said “Allowing this only promotes the discontent and hatred for police to continue.

[31] There was a "contest to draw cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad" that resulted in an attack by two Muslim men who were shot dead by Garland Police.