The school is named for United States Marine Corps First Lieutenant Matthew Ryan Vandegrift, who was killed in action in Basra, Iraq in 2008.

[5] 26 AP classes are offered as well the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.

[8] Vandegrift's marching band has over 400 members, and has won UIL State championships 2 years in a row.

With their finals performance, they achieved the highest BOA Regional score of all time, with a 97.6.

[9] In November 2013, Vandegrift High School took first place at the UIL Class 4A State Marching Band Championships.