There's already a high academic bar to clear to gain acceptance into the Science and Engineering Magnet High School in Dallas ISD.
But this week, seniors at SEM have seen the requirements and hard work payoff as 10 students have been accepted to Ivy League or elite universities. The 2017 senior class has 106 students.
AP Calculus teacher Joshua Newton said it is an unprecedented round of college admission success for a school that does well every year.
"We usually have maybe two or three early accept to an elite school," Newton said. "I've never seen 10 before."
According to Newton, three students have been accepted to Harvard, one each to the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and Cal Tech. Three more were accepted to Stanford, including longtime friends John Okhiulu and Roscoe Harris.
"I took a screenshot of the little picture on my phone and started sending it everybody I had on my list,” Okhiulu said. "Getting these decisions when they come out, we get so excited for each other. Everyone is happy, hugging, crying.”
Paying for school can bring different tears, and to combat crippling student debt, more elite universities are offering full-ride financial aid to more families, even ones that earn up to $125,000 a year.
Harris said every bit of it helps.
“It’s great to have the opportunity to go to college debt free,” he said.