All students who attend DISD schools are eligible to apply to and attend the school free of charge. All students fill out applications and are ranked by several criteria and the top performing students are chosen to be invited to attend the school.

Requirements:

To be placed in the initial selection pool, each student must have a GPA of 82 in the core subjects of English, math, science and social studies.

To be placed in the second selection pool, each student must pass standardized tests (i.e. ITBS, Stanford 9) with a score of at least 160 points total for math and English combined.

To be placed in the final selection pool, each student must:

A. Pass an English essay exam, timed for a maximum of two hours and held under SEM supervision. (40% of total).

B. Pass a math exam consisting of problems, untimed and held under SEM supervision. (40% of the total).

C. Pass a personal interview with SEM personnel. (20% of total).