Dallas International School


Dallas International School Mission Laïque Française is an elementary, middle, and high school in the North Dallas area in Dallas, Texas, United States, and is the only international private school in Dallas. It is an English-French school and uses the French educational system. It is a part of the Mission Laïque Française network. Dallas International School is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. In 2016, DIS was ranked by the Washington Post as #24 in the nation for "America's Most Challenging High Schools.

Curriculum

In preschool through kindergarten, 50% of the education is in French, 40% in English and 10% in Spanish. In elementary school grades, about 70% of instruction is in French and 30% in English. In addition, students have one hour of Spanish instruction per week. In middle school grades, all subjects are taught in French. English education occurs 3 to 5 hours per week. A student may take either Chinese, German or Spanish for three hours per week. In high school, a student may stay in a French language education track, or may take an English language International Baccalaureate track.

Location

Dallas International School has two campuses located in North Dallas. The lower school campus is referred to as the Churchill campus and is located at 6039 Churchill Way, Dallas, Texas 75230. The upper school campus is referred to as the Waterview campus and is located at 17811 Waterview Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75252.

Academic Overview

The school curriculum follows the academic program laid out by the French Ministry of National Education and used in the largest network of certified French schools throughout the world. The French curriculum is supplemented by advanced elements from American private-school education.
All academic courses are Honors/AP equivalent. Students are not ranked and grades are not weighted.
From preschool through 9th grade, students choose either the French Baccalauréat Diploma Program or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. No other school in the Dallas area offers these dual tracks, nor does any other local school provide the opportunity for students to obtain a bi-lingual IB.
The curriculum follows the requirements of the French Ministry of Education in conjunction with best practices in the American education system. As DIS is affiliated with Mission Laïque Française, high school students are able to study abroad in Mlf-affiliated schools in 130 different countries.
In 10th grade, students may continue the FB track or choose the IB track by entering the 10th DIS Pre-IB program, which is focused on IB Diploma preparation.
Students have the following choices regarding extracurricular activities:
Athletics- Basketball, Cheer/Pep Squads, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Triathlon, and Volleyball
Clubs- buildOn for Haiti, Chess, Computer Science, Debate, Junior World Affairs Council, Model UN, Student Council, and Yearbook
Honor Societies- Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, National Honor Society, Société Honoraire de Français, National Honor English Society, and Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society

Student Body

As of 2018, DIS’s students are as follows.
708 students, with 470 primary students and 238 secondary students, including 45% boys and 55% girls
33 nationalities represented with a student body of: 63% Caucasian, 16% Multi-racial, 7% Asian, 6% Latino/Hispanic, 6% African and 2% Middle Eastern