[3] STISD operates magnet schools that draw students from three counties: Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy.
STISD schools maintain an open enrollment policy, meaning any student can attend so long as they reside within the tri-county area.
Over 95 percent of STISD graduates continue their education at major universities or technical colleges.
To better accommodate the students of the lower Rio Grande Valley, STISD opened another school by the same name in Harlingen in 1967.
Lawmakers extended STISD’s purpose in 1983 to encourage the operation of vocational magnet schools.
In 2008, the junior high from BETA separated and opened as South Texas Preparatory Academy (STPA).
The purpose of the Half-Day Career & Technology Program is to teach students in a real work environment so they gain a marketable edge in the workforce.