Dallas ISD is proud to be a school district of "choice", seeking to provide every student with the “best-fit” school for their educational and social needs. Magnet schools are one of the many high-quality school choice options offered by Dallas ISD. There are 29 magnet school options, ranging in subjects from Performing and Visual Arts, to Leadership, to STEM and STEAM to Talented And Gifted. One of those incredible Talented and Gifted campuses is William B. Travis Talented and Gifted Vanguard and Academy! "Travis" is roughly 25 years old, and houses approx. 540 students, ranging from 4th to 8th grade.
To get accepted into the school, you have to apply through the Dallas ISD application process from November 1st through January 31st. The application window just closed for 2025-2026, so students and families who wish to apply to Travis for the 2026-2027 school year must do so in the winter of this year. When I toured the school in person, I got to chat with the Counselor, Mr. Smith, and learned more about the application process. According to the school, every student will get scored by 100 points. Half of those points come from the student's report cards and standardized testing scores from their current school. The other half of the points comes from a test that Travis administers on site. This test (The Naglieri General Ability Test, Third Edition or the NNAT3) consists of a timed test portion and an essay, which has to be typed. Admissions are based on the 30/70 rule, which is designed to ensure that magnet school seats are distributed geographically across the district while still maintaining high academic standards. 30% of the admissions are awarded to top-scoring applications districtwide, no matter the feeder pattern. The other 70& of admissions are allocated to the top-scoring students from each comprehensive high school feed patterns across the district. This formula aims to balance merit-based access with geographical diversity.
Fourth and fifth grade students engage in rigorous coursework, with classes including reading, math, science and social studies. Elementary students have 45 minutes of specials each day, which they rotate through Art (once a week), Music (once a week) and Physical Education (three times a week). Sixth through Eighth grade students participate in core studies and required coursework and electives. Sixth grade courses include Reading 6 Advanced, Science 6 Advanced, Math 6 Advanced, World Cultural Studies Advanced, Robotics,Tech Apps and Physical Education. Sixth graders will take two STAAR tests, including Math 6 and Reading 6. Seventh grade course include Reading 7 Advanced, Science 7 Advanced, Math 7 Advanced, Texas Studies Advanced, Physical Education, College & Career Readiness and Spanish I/II, which count as high school credits. Seventh graders will take three STAAR tests, including Math 8, Reading 7 and Science 8. Eighth Grade courses include Reading 8 Advanced, Physics Advanced, Algebra I Advanced, U.S. Studies Advanced, Physical Education, Health and Spanish II/III, which also count as high school credits. Eighth graders will take three STAAR tests, including Algebra 1 STAAR/EOC, Reading 8 and Social Studies 8. In addition to Spanish 1, 2 and 3, students will also get the chance to obtain high school credits with Algebra 1, Physics, Communications and Creative Writing. Additionally, every middle school student has 30 minutes of advisory each day in their schedule.
In addition, middle schoolers can participate in a variety of electives, which include Art 1 (6th Grade), Art 2 (7th Grade), Art 3 (8th Grade), Band (6th-8th Grades), Dance 1 and Dance 2, Orchestra (7th-8th Grades), Theatre 1 and Theatre 2, Spanish 1-3 (which count towards high school credits), Robotics (6th-8th Grades), Creative Writing & Literacy Genres (8th Grade), Debate (6th-8th Grades), Math & Science Academic Competitions & the School Newspaper.
Overall, I was highly impressed with my visit to Travis and how comprehensive the coursework and electives opportunities were for the students and families who attend the school. These programs are one of the many reasons why William B. Travis Talented and Gifted Vanguard and Academy has one of the highest ratings you can get from the Texas Education Agency, and why it's ranked the #1 middle school in all of Texas, according to U.S. News & World Report. For more information on the school, the application process and my insights, feel free to reach out to me anytime!
Updated 2024-2025 Texas Education Agency (TEA) Accountability Rating - A Rating / 98 Score