Application Process

For all students:

Incoming 9th grade students may begin applying to the Engineering Academy for the upcoming school year beginning in January each year. Academy applications can be obtained online (http://www.roundrockisd.org – Academics – Academies – Application) or from the middle school counseling offices.  Returning students are guaranteed acceptance, provided they have met the requirements for academic and behavior standards listed in this document.

The application process is as follows:

  1. Obtain a Round Rock ISD Academy application.
  2. If a student is transferring from his/her home campus, a transfer form will also be necessary. These can be obtained from any middle or high school counseling office, from the RRISD Central Office, or printed from http://www.roundrockisd.org.
  3. Complete the Academy application (and transfer form if necessary) and submit to Lisa Windolph at McNeil High School prior to the due date printed on the Academy application form. All applications will be date stamped and accepted on a first come, first served basis.
  4. Applications will be processed and parents will be notified of acceptance into the Academy (most likely by e-mail) by the date indicated on the Academy application form.
  5. For transfer students: Once a student has been accepted into the Engineering Academy , McNeil has agreed to accept these transfers. However, the transfer form requires additional processing with the home campus and may take 2-3 weeks to complete processing. The student’s records and class selection information will not be forwarded to McNeil until the transfer is fully approved by all parties.


For Incoming 9th Graders:

Please note that incoming 9th grade transfer students will most likely not be able to select their Academy class when registering online. This is because the Engineering Academy courses are not available on their home campuses, and until their transfers have completely processed through the system, their registration data is not available to McNeil staff.

If the student has completed Algebra I in middle school, he or she will automatically be placed in Introduction to Engineering Design. If the student is enrolled in Algebra I for the 9th grade, he or she will be placed in Introduction to Information Technology. Parents wishing to make a change to this placement need to ensure that a copy of the choice sheet is included with the Engineering Academy application.