Currently, the Fine Arts Academy is open to all students in AISD who wish to attend, given that they are accepted following an admissions process.

Construction began in March 1951[8] at a total cost of $1.4M,[8] or $11.88 per square foot, and the school's first classes were held on September 8, 1953.

[3] In 2004, McCallum High School band performed at ceremony which Mayor Will Wynn proclaimed Oct. 25 Mangiasaurus Day.

On May 7, 2015, nine-time Grammy award-winner Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel, performed at the evening reception for students, families, school administrators, and local press.

In April 2023, local news station KXAN-TV reported on an incident at McCallum in which a raccoon fell from the ceiling into a classroom.

[12] The story was subsequently picked up and run nationally by the New York Post,[13] Fox News[14] and HuffPost,[15] and the raccoon became a popular meme among students.

[22] Twenty-one McCallum students were named to the 2023 ILPC All-State journalism staff, the most from any Texas high school and one eighth of the statewide total.

McCallum also won the Staff Excellence Blue and Gold Award for scoring the most points across all categories at Quill and Scroll's 2024 International Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest.