IB@AHS blends the junior and senior year IB Diploma Programme with a freshman and sophomore year pathway that prepares students for success in the IB courses.

During 9th & 10th grade, students are required to take 3 advanced courses, at least 2 of which must be core courses (English, Math, Science, Social Studies).

In the junior and senior years, students may choose to pursue our prestigious IB Diploma Cohort, completing all courses required to earn the IB Diploma. If their other interests make it impossible for them to schedule all required courses, they may choose four IB courses (3 of which must be core) as part of our IB Foundations Cohort.

What makes these pathways unique is our integration of IB's Creativity, Activity, Service model to help students gain important academic and personal skills. During all four years, students will spend time reflecting on their interests, assessing their strengths and areas of growth, learning to collaborate and plan, and leading projects. We see these skills as steppingstones to leadership roles in college and beyond and, more importantly, skills to help them make the world a better place. Students will create a portfolio of experiences that can enhance college & scholarship applications, and they will be required to lead an in-depth project in an area of personal interest. 

Program students will have access to courses in our Fine Arts and Dual Language Academy (assuming they meet proficiency requirements). This includes honors fine arts courses, some math courses delivered in Spanish, and extended Spanish opportunities. 

Students should have a demonstrated academic focus. Their course choices, grades, and attendance should show a commitment to schoolwork, taking on challenging classes, and a willingness to grow and develop good study habits. It is recommended, but not required, that you have taken advanced courses and/or have earned predominantly As & Bs.

We are looking for students who want to be introspective, who want to think about their strengths and areas where they can grow. Our students should want to excel academically and personally. They should have an interest in hearing different perspectives and working on local & global issues that interest them.

Applicants must be dedicated to spending time outside of class to reflect on their experiences, assess their growth, make goals and plans, collaborate with others, and lead projects. They also must be interested in taking multiple IB courses their junior and senior year.

 Freshman & Sophomore Years

Students take at least 3 advanced courses

3 core OR 2 core + 1 honors-credit elective

Junior & Senior Years

Students choose the IB Foundations Cohort or the IB Diploma Cohort

IB Foundations Cohort

At least 4 IB courses 

4 core OR 3 core + 1 IB elective

IB Diploma Cohort 

All 7 courses required to earn the Diploma

4 core + World Language study + IB elective + Theory of Knowledge

All 4 years: Participate in Colt Kindness Collective

Learn key skills of reflecting, researching, planning, assessing growth, and demonstrating what they have learned

Deepen their experiences with creative, active, and service endeavors

Create a reflective portfolio and complete a project aligned with their interests & goals

Students may enter the program at 9th grade, 10th grade, or 11th grade. 

If you are a current 9th or 10th grader and your current academic courses do not align with the requirements above, you should still apply. We will look at all applications holistically.

If you are a current 9th or 10th grader who will be transferring schools, there may be UIL eligibility implications. Please reach out to your current coach and/or us for further details.

Currently the only costs associated with the program would be the $15 exam fee for any AP courses students elect to take.  

Apply using this link (same as the button above). Because this is our first year, we are using a separate application and have an extended deadline of January 31, 2026.

If you have already applied for other specialized programs via the AISD application, you can still apply to the IB @ AHS. Doing so will not impact your application to other programs.

We will email interview offers February 6 and conduct interviews through mid-February.

We will issue acceptance offers on February 27 via email. If you have applied for other specialized programs, you will get acceptance offers based on that application on that day as well. Acceptance to the IB @ AHS program does not impact your possible acceptance in other specialized programs. If you receive multiple offers, you may select whichever one you prefer.

Residents outside of Arlington ISD boundaries will be offered admission after all Arlington ISD residents have been placed. Out-of-district siblings of current AHS students are exempt and will be considered along with AISD residents. 

Yes, there are school buses that travel to and from each traditional high school in the district on each school day to Arlington High School. Students are picked up at the traditional high school they are zoned to attend then driven to AHS each day. They ride the bus back to the traditional high school each afternoon.

Transportation options for zoned AHS students are the same as all AISD schools: Transportation is provided for students living 2 miles or farther from campus.

Transportation is not provided for out-of-district students.