_{^{Frequently Asked Questions}}

Applications will open on December 9, 2025, and will close on February 11, 2026, for phase 1.

Phase 2 applications start on 3/19/2026. Phase 2 applications will be automatically placed at the end of our extensive waitlist from phase 1, in the order that they were received.

No. Applications are received through an online application program.

The online application can be found on the HISD website or on the CVHS website once phase 1 opens.

No. Please submit a fully-completed application.

Contact Ms Moumni if you have any questions regarding application at lmoumni@houstonisd.org

You need to apply to the HISD magnet application and choose the Carnegie vanguard High school program. 

In addition to the 9th grade space available, Carnegie Vanguard High School may have a limited number of spaces available for incoming 10th graders. If space does materialize and there are more applications than spaces, a lottery will be held to determine which applicants are accepted into the school.

We do not accept applications for 11th grade nor 12th grade students.

Applications for Phase I must be submitted or postmarked no later than the Phase 1 deadline. We do not accept applications during Phase 2.

Refer to the admission calendar for deadline dates.

No. For equity purposes, we cannot consider letters, resumes, awards, projects, photos, or anything not listed on the application.

We only need a teacher's recommendation if your child is not currently identified as GT. We cannot accept free form letters. 

  You will be asked to provide the name and email of a current core teacher, and your HISD zoned school(where you tested) will send the recommendation format to this email.

Applications are available on the HISD Office of School Choice website or through the CVHS website under the quick link section on our  website's main page as well as under the Admission tab.

It varies from year to year.

Any qualified GT student is not guaranteed a spot at Carnegie.

There is a lottery process and any qualified student not placed on the accepted lottery list will be placed on a wait list and contacted if any spots become available.

No. Tours are not available at any other time of the school year. Quality instruction without interruption is paramount at Carnegie Vanguard High School. We encourage you to take advantage of seeing the campus during Magnet Thursdays. We do NOT have student shadowing.

CVHS administration will welcome parents and prospective students with a short and general presentation of the school followed by a detailed explanation of the application process.

 Current CVHS Juniors and Seniors students as well as current CVHS parents will lead small groups of parents into classrooms while class is taking place, so parents can see what instruction looks like at Carnegie. Parents will also tour the facility and can ask questions.

Finally, there will be a Q&A session with the administration and the counselors.

Applicants will be tested in their HISD zoned school.
You must request GT testing via the link published on our admission page. Deadline to request testing is August 25th, 2025.
Your zoned school will contact you once you have filled out the link.

Your child will need some form of ID. A passport or school ID is sufficient. If your child does not have an ID, a parent must present his or her ID. 
All tests will be online.

Only if your child is not currently identified as GT by HISD will he/she need testing.
If your student is identified as GT by another district or state, then you must provide the GT identification documents to Ms Moumni. 
If the district approves your GT identification, then your student will not need to test, otherwise your student will need to test at his/her Zoned HISD middle school.

Students who are GT from other districts MUST provide their GT identification documentation. The District GT committee will evaluate the documentation provided and determine if the GT status is accepted and maintained in HISD or not. Please note that Out of District applicants for Phase 1 will be placed at the end of our extensive waitlist. 
Email your child's GT identification to Ms Moumni to be evaluated.

To qualify for Carnegie's program, your child will need to test. 

No. ERB scores are not accepted.

The duration of the achievement test is approximately 4 hours and the ability test is approximately 45 minutes. This is NOT the exact time for each test, but rather an estimated time the student will be engaged in the testing process. This includes completing answer sheets, signing onto the computers for online testing, etc. 
Please make sure to schedule your tests so they don't conflict: the achievement test is offered in the morning. Therefore, schedule the ability test in the afternoon if you wish your child to take both tests on the same day. 
From HISD's Student Assessment Department:

The achievement assessments are norm-referenced tests administered to G/T applicants and potential G/T candidates without norm-referenced test scores from the last 12 months. Students complete 2 subtests: Reading and Math.

The Ability Test is a short, nonverbal instrument measuring reasoning and problem-solving skills rather than verbal ability. The nonverbal battery is comprised of three 10-minute (approximate) subtests: Figure matrices (subtest contains three figures in an analogy that the student must complete), Paper Folding (requires the examinee to determine how a folded, hole-punched paper will appear when unfolded), and Figure Classification (presents three figures in the stem and the examinee is required to determine a fourth figure that belongs to the set).

For students who must test or provide test results, the HISD matrix is used to determine Gifted and Talented (GT) eligibility. 
The test results as well as the requested documents will be sent directly to the school where your child is tested, and they will calculate his/her GT matrix.
For GT qualifications, the student needs:

1. GT testing results
2. The specific teacher recommendation (sent directly to the current core teacher you provided the email for).
3. Last year's final report card

CVHS offers:

• UIL Girls Volleyball
• UIL Baseball
• UIL Soccer
• UIL Tennis
• UIL Cross Country
• UIL Track and Field

No, they cannot participate in any UIL sports at any other campus because CVHS offers at least one UIL sport (this is a district rule).
For example, CVHS does not offer UIL Swimming, but the student cannot participate in UIL swimming at any other campus.
However, students can participate in club sports both at CVHS and outside of CVHS.

You can find an updated list of CVHS clubs including sports at:
https://sites.google.com/houstonisd.org/carnegieclubs/home