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Way back in 2016, there were a bunch of stories about the role of sibling preference in admissions to Travis Vanguard (the middle-school gifted magnet in DISD).
Reportedly, 50 of 66 admissions slots were filled through sibling preference; and 61 students on the waitlist had higher scores than 33 of the 50 siblings who were accepted.
Is that still more or less the case? Or did they tweak the policy at all...
The policy has changed and is less generous toward siblings. Previously, siblings who met the minimum criteria moved to the head of the list. Now, siblings get a 5 point bonus.
In 2019, DISD opened a second TAG middle school (4-8th) at Sudie Williams TAG. Located in Bluffview, the school has the same criteria for admission as Travis. We’ve been very happy thus far. It doesn’t have the history of Travis nor the extensive siblings, but did actually have more applicants this year. They are doing a good job of community involvement, arts, extracurriculars, and had quite a few sports teams last year. Also the best principal! We moved both kids from privates and have been impressed! It has a beautiful campus with huge garden and chickens.
Like Travis, it does pull heavily from East Dallas. They do want to recruit more from across the area.
The policy changed where siblings are favored but have to pull their own weight a little more than they used to. But the whole magnet situation within DISD is still kind of absurd. Travis and Sudie are actually less diverse than most private schools because the admissions criteria so heavily favors well off white and Asian families. I don’t begrudge the families who work the system to make a free education work for them, I just hate when they project that they’re morally superior for choosing public school (and yes, in my experience, a large % do this).
The policy changed where siblings are favored but have to pull their own weight a little more than they used to. But the whole magnet situation within DISD is still kind of absurd. Travis and Sudie are actually less diverse than most private schools because the admissions criteria so heavily favors well off white and Asian families. I don’t begrudge the families who work the system to make a free education work for them, I just hate when they project that they’re morally superior for choosing public school (and yes, in my experience, a large % do this).
That probably depends on part of town you are in. I think from previous posts you are in the North Oak Cliff area. In Lakewood (where I am at), public school students are the majority (adding Mata, Solar, Travis, and Sudie on top of Lakewood/Long) so I haven’t seen the attitude you mention at all.
Travis and Sudie absolutely do not demographically represent DISD as a whole. No argument there and in fact it’s a topic of discussion. But having previously spent 6 years at a private local school, they are head and shoulders more diverse than our prior experiences.
This includes many families with English not as a first language.
Thanks all very much for the information. That is all very helpful to know. I wonder how many siblings come in each year under the new program?
If I could just ask a couple of follow-ups:
1. If you get admitted to Travis in 4th grade, you don't have to re-apply for 6th-grade, do you? I just ask because it is formally listed as two different schools, Travis Academy and Travis Vanguard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NP78
In Lakewood (where I am at), public school students are the majority (adding Mata, Solar, Travis, and Sudie on top of Lakewood/Long)
2. Question about the appropriateness of these different schools for a "TAG-type" kid:
We're zoned for Lakewood (and indeed, bought the house for Lakewood), but have been also a little bit apprehensive about Lakewood for a few reasons:
a. it's huge
b. frequent principal turnover
c. 'buzz' that the 'high ranking' of the school is supposedly more down to the affluence of the students than to the magic of its teaching
d. I had a recent conversation with a very precocious 4th-grader [not our kid] who transferred from Lakewood (where he was unhappy) to Travis (where he is happy). This kid (who is neither white nor rich) told me bluntly: "Lakewood is only good if you're white and rich. The kids don't take their studies seriously..." Now, I take anything a kid says with an enormous grain of salt, and I know that Lakewood is a fine school with many fine students. This kid's verdict is surely unfair. That said, we've also been a little uneasy about the highly visible "affluent Lakewood" culture and whether that is what we want for the kid. Mom & Dad are two transplants, both PhDs, (white, but not rich), and our whole family is much more "nerd" than "jock." Our kid is very advanced, 99+ and all that. Should we be looking seriously at alternatives to Lakewood, and if so, are Mata, Solar, Travis and Sudie all equally worth considering?
Thanks all very much for the information. That is all very helpful to know. I wonder how many siblings come in each year under the new program?
If I could just ask a couple of follow-ups:
1. If you get admitted to Travis in 4th grade, you don't have to re-apply for 6th-grade, do you? I just ask because it is formally listed as two different schools, Travis Academy and Travis Vanguard.
2. Question about the appropriateness of these different schools for a "TAG-type" kid:
We're zoned for Lakewood (and indeed, bought the house for Lakewood), but have been also a little bit apprehensive about Lakewood for a few reasons:
a. it's huge
b. frequent principal turnover
c. 'buzz' that the 'high ranking' of the school is supposedly more down to the affluence of the students than to the magic of its teaching
d. I had a recent conversation with a very precocious 4th-grader [not our kid] who transferred from Lakewood (where he was unhappy) to Travis (where he is happy). This kid (who is neither white nor rich) told me bluntly: "Lakewood is only good if you're white and rich. The kids don't take their studies seriously..." Now, I take anything a kid says with an enormous grain of salt, and I know that Lakewood is a fine school with many fine students. This kid's verdict is surely unfair. That said, we've also been a little uneasy about the highly visible "affluent Lakewood" culture and whether that is what we want for the kid. Mom & Dad are two transplants, both PhDs, (white, but not rich), and our whole family is much more "nerd" than "jock." Our kid is very advanced, 99+ and all that. Should we be looking seriously at alternatives to Lakewood, and if so, are Mata, Solar, Travis and Sudie all equally worth considering?
Thank you again for all the information.
1) No application from grade 5 to grade 6 at Travis or Sudie. Some years ago there was an application.
2) Regarding the 'buzz' that it's all demographics, this is true about any "good" public school. Find one with lot of poor kids with good scores... This 'buzz' is simply the good news (for you) that DISD doesn't really suck any worse than other districts.
Are Mata,Solar, Sudie, Travis and I will add Dealey all equally worth considering ? Mata is not TAG, it's lottery admission Montessori. Many people there love it, but it's all about Montessori, not TAG. Dealey is competitive admission Montessori but it isn't TAG either.. Solar is lottery based STEM. For Girls it may have some TAG aspects.. for boys I think it's too early to tell. So, it depends on what you want.
Thanks all very much for the information. That is all very helpful to know. I wonder how many siblings come in each year under the new program?
If I could just ask a couple of follow-ups:
1. If you get admitted to Travis in 4th grade, you don't have to re-apply for 6th-grade, do you? I just ask because it is formally listed as two different schools, Travis Academy and Travis Vanguard.
2. Question about the appropriateness of these different schools for a "TAG-type" kid:
We're zoned for Lakewood (and indeed, bought the house for Lakewood), but have been also a little bit apprehensive about Lakewood for a few reasons:
a. it's huge
b. frequent principal turnover
c. 'buzz' that the 'high ranking' of the school is supposedly more down to the affluence of the students than to the magic of its teaching
d. I had a recent conversation with a very precocious 4th-grader [not our kid] who transferred from Lakewood (where he was unhappy) to Travis (where he is happy). This kid (who is neither white nor rich) told me bluntly: "Lakewood is only good if you're white and rich. The kids don't take their studies seriously..." Now, I take anything a kid says with an enormous grain of salt, and I know that Lakewood is a fine school with many fine students. This kid's verdict is surely unfair. That said, we've also been a little uneasy about the highly visible "affluent Lakewood" culture and whether that is what we want for the kid. Mom & Dad are two transplants, both PhDs, (white, but not rich), and our whole family is much more "nerd" than "jock." Our kid is very advanced, 99+ and all that. Should we be looking seriously at alternatives to Lakewood, and if so, are Mata, Solar, Travis and Sudie all equally worth considering?
Thank you again for all the information.
I haven't seen recent stats about the sibling policy. Sudie will obviously have less siblings just because its a newer school. (I have two kids at it, but they started at the same time). A stronger concern for me would be due to the policy for the schools to divide qualified applicants by HS feeder pattern. They do this to try and have more diversity (of home school area) in the TAG schools (as the schools heavily pull from East Dallas and a few other areas of DISD). I believe that the very top kids automatically get into their first choice school no matter their home school, but then they try and equally divide up the other qualified candidates. As such...I've always heard that due to the huge number of applicants from the Lakewood/Woodrow HS area, it can be harder for a qualified Lakewood-area applicant to get into Travis (for example) vs. the same student if they lived in a different DISD HS feeder pattern.
Note - When you apply, you preference a first and second choice school. In practicality, for the TAG middle schools - you pretty much only have a chance at your first choice school due to the number of applicants. That doesn't apply to the choice schools and perhaps HS magnets.
1. No you don't have to reapply
2. We weren't at Lakewood, although we are in the Woodrow feeder pattern. I hear a lot of great things about Lakewood - apparently its like a private/public school with tremendous parent involvement. But yes..its definitely affluent, huge, etc. Only you can decide if the pros outweigh the cons. A pro if you live in the neighborhood is that your kids will have neighborhood friends. If you are looking for the TAG experience, you'll probably start out there and then decide if you want to apply for a TAG dedicated school. (There are TAG classes at Lakewood). I'd be somewhat wary of the 4th grader assessment...the TAG schools do a good job of indoctrinating the students. My 4th grader loves his new school..but part of it is because he has been convinced how smart/special he is there. Hes also surrounded by more kids that are brainy like him (vs. his old private that was very sports heavy). My 6th grader likes it because of the different classes (e.g., Modern Band), projects, and diversity.
You don't say how old your child is. If you are in 3rd grade, yes - definitely tour the magnets and see if they might be a fit. If they are younger, tour Dealey, Mata, Solar etc. You can always decide in 3rd grade to apply for a TAG magnet for 4th grade then. (We have quite a few transitioning from the other choice schools in 4th).
Thanks all very much for the information. That is all very helpful to know. I wonder how many siblings come in each year under the new program?
If I could just ask a couple of follow-ups:
1. If you get admitted to Travis in 4th grade, you don't have to re-apply for 6th-grade, do you? I just ask because it is formally listed as two different schools, Travis Academy and Travis Vanguard.
2. Question about the appropriateness of these different schools for a "TAG-type" kid:
We're zoned for Lakewood (and indeed, bought the house for Lakewood), but have been also a little bit apprehensive about Lakewood for a few reasons:
a. it's huge
b. frequent principal turnover
c. 'buzz' that the 'high ranking' of the school is supposedly more down to the affluence of the students than to the magic of its teaching
d. I had a recent conversation with a very precocious 4th-grader [not our kid] who transferred from Lakewood (where he was unhappy) to Travis (where he is happy). This kid (who is neither white nor rich) told me bluntly: "Lakewood is only good if you're white and rich. The kids don't take their studies seriously..." Now, I take anything a kid says with an enormous grain of salt, and I know that Lakewood is a fine school with many fine students. This kid's verdict is surely unfair. That said, we've also been a little uneasy about the highly visible "affluent Lakewood" culture and whether that is what we want for the kid. Mom & Dad are two transplants, both PhDs, (white, but not rich), and our whole family is much more "nerd" than "jock." Our kid is very advanced, 99+ and all that. Should we be looking seriously at alternatives to Lakewood, and if so, are Mata, Solar, Travis and Sudie all equally worth considering?
Thank you again for all the information.
I assume your child is younger. Since Sudie and Travis don't start until 4th grade, you can see how they are progressing at Lakewood/Solar/Mata and then make a decision regarding whether or not you would want to apply for Travis/Sudie. We have a number of friends/neighbors with children at Travis and Sudie (most of which are just starting this year). The kids that I know personally at Travis and Sudie started at a variety of schools including Lakewood, St. Thomas, Mata, and Spanish House, so there are a variety of paths available.
Everyone probably has a different perspective but I can give you some anecdotal thoughts regarding the particular schools and the school decision. The biggest thing I have learned is that it is very easy to drive yourself crazy with the options. From what I have seen all of them are good options and the outcomes are more dependent upon the individual child/family than anything else (at least in terms of the schools referenced here).
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Travis, Sudie, Mata and Solar (vs. Lakewood)
Hes also surrounded by more kids that are brainy like him (vs. his old private that was very sports heavy). My 6th grader likes it because of the different classes (e.g., Modern Band), projects, and diversity.
