Stafford went to high school at Highland Park in Dallas. One of the top prep schools in the nation with an incredible rate of college graduates. It's not a private school but due to the high dollar value of the homes in this neighborhood it might as well be a private school and as such it has all of the parental expectations of performance and resources of a private school.
If I'm not mistaken our last president just moved to Highland Park.
There have been quite a few professional athletes graduate from Highland Park notably Doak Walker and Bobby Layne who played on the same team. I graduated from Mesquite High School right outside Dallas and Highland Park was a team that we played quite often. They usually had a very good team with some outstanding athletes. This is cut and pasted from Wikipedia:Highland Park High has one of the most successful and tradition-rich athletic programs in Texas. In 2005, Sports Illustrated listed them as the best sports program in the state of Texas (16th in the US).[7]
As of 2007[update], Highland Park Scots football teams have made a state-record 49 playoff appearances. Since 1944, they have had six state finals appearances. Coached by Rusty Russell (1942-45) and led by Doak Walker and Bobby Layne, the Scots made the final consecutive times in 1944 and 1945. After losing 20-7 to Port Arthur in 1944, Highland Park battled Waco to a 7-7 tie in front of a record 45,790 crowd at the Cotton Bowl.[8] In 1947, Highland Park lost the state final 22-13 to San Antonio Brackenridge, while in 1957 they defeated Port Arthur 21-9 under the guidance of Thurman Jones.
The Highland Park football team is currently coached by Randy Allen, who holds a 244-69-6 record as of 2006, placing him 19th on the Texas All-Time Coaching Records Ranking.
On August 30, 2008, the Highland Park football program became the first Texas high school football team to win 700 games with a win over Red Oak High School.
In 2005, Allen guided the Scots to a 59-0 rout over Marshall, the largest margin-of-victory ever in a UIL 11-man state championship football game. This also produced the first-ever undefeated, un-tied team at Highland Park. (The 1945 team was undefeated but tied by Waco High School in the state championship game.) In 2007, the Scots went undefeated into the state final against Garrett Gilbert-lead Austin Lake Travis, but lost 36-34.
Here is a list of athletes who graduated from HPHS. Angie Harmon and John Hinckley Jr. also graduated from there.
Athletics
* Fred Benners, quarterback for the New York Giants
* David Browning, 1952 Olympic gold medalist in 3-meter springboard diving
* Harrison Frazar, professional golfer
* Mike Heath, swimmer who won two gold medals and one silver at 1984 Olympics
* Clayton Kershaw, 2008 Starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers; seventh overall pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft
* Shaun Jordan, two-time Olympic gold medalist as part of 400-meter free-relay teams at the 1988 Olympics and the 1992 Olympics
* Hank Kuehne, PGA golfer and 1998 United States Men's Amateur golf champion
* Kelli Kuehne, LPGA golfer and two-time United States Women's Amateur golf champion
* Bobby Layne, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
* Richard Quick, Auburn University swim coach and 5-time U.S. Olympic coach
* Kyle Williams, offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks
* Dave Richards, offensive guard/offensive tackle in the NFL
* John Roach, quarterback, defensive back and punter for the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys
* Kyle Rote, Jr., NASL soccer star, son of Kyle Rote
* Anthony Schlegel, former linebacker for the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals
* Daniel Sepulveda, two-time Ray Guy Award winner, punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers
* Matthew Stafford, quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs
* Doak Walker, 1948 Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
* Chris Young, San Diego Padres All-Star pitcher