[citation needed] It was the first school in Texas to institute a requirement for a senior portfolio, to be submitted to a panel including a teacher, a member of the community, and a person in the student's intended field of work.

[6] Drippings Springs High School has received much recognition in recent years, including the 2012 "College Readiness Award" from the Texas ACT Council for maintaining or increasing the number of students taking the ACT Assessment over the past five years and significantly increasing their level of achievement and college readiness.

It has been recognized as one of the top high schools in Central Texas by the organization Children at Risk for the past several years, ranking seventh in the spring of 2015.

In the Daily Beast's poll released in August 2014, it was ranked 83rd in the country and eighth in the state of Texas.

U.S. News & World Report recognized it as one of the top high schools in the country in spring 2015: DSHS earned the designation of "Silver Medal" in 2016, and currently [when?]

In 2015, the Tiger band returned to compete in state finals, earning sixth in UIL conference AAAAA.

Recently, the winter percussion ensembles placed first in 2014, and fourth in 2017 in TCGC state finals in the Scholastic A division.