January start · Applications close December 4
Through the generosity of a program sponsor, a limited number of local students will be selected to attend Selwyn for one semester at no charge to their families, beginning in January.
A Brighter Tomorrow Begins Here
A school where your child is known.
Independent · Non-sectarian · PreK through Grade 12
Founded 1957 · Argyle, Texas
The offer
Choosing a school is a thirteen-year decision made on a two-hour tour. A sponsor has made it possible for a limited number of families to make it a different way: let your child live a full semester at Selwyn, then decide with everything you actually need to know. Tuition for that semester is covered.
Your child joins a class, a teacher, a team and a community from the first day of the spring term in January. Tuition for the semester is covered in full by the program sponsor. Families remain responsible for the application fee, the new family fee and incidentals such as uniforms, athletics and optional trips.
Students are selected by the Admission Committee on the strength of a complete application, exactly as every Selwyn student is. This is not a drawing and there is nothing to win. The standard does not move because the semester is sponsored.
The semester carries no obligation to continue. Families who stay enroll on standard terms for the following year and may apply for financial aid through the school's regular process. Families who do not leave having had a very good semester.
About Selwyn
Selwyn is a non-sectarian, college-preparatory independent school on a wooded campus in Argyle, serving preschool through Grade 12. It was founded in 1957 and it has stayed deliberately small ever since.
A member of the National Association of Independent Schools with full NAIS-approved accreditation, Selwyn offers what the school describes as the most thoroughly individualized, comprehensive and developmentally appropriate array of student-focused experiences in North Texas.
To cultivate global citizens who embrace complex challenges with empathetic and innovative thinking that advances the human condition.
What it gives your child
Not a smaller class. A different premise about what school is for, and a faculty with the room to act on it.
Selwyn's academic philosophy is grounded in the liberal arts: to think logically and critically, read perceptively and write articulately. Classrooms are Socratic seminars and project-based science, where students ask big questions, challenge assumptions and make connections across disciplines.
"We don't teach to a test; we teach students how to think."
From 2026-2027 the Upper School moves to a modular schedule: three courses at a time across six mods, rather than juggling seven subjects at once. Students go deeper, carry a manageable load, and still have room to reflect, recharge and pursue what they love.
The model follows the Middle School's acceptance into the Future Design School network. It is a deliberate rethinking of the school day, not a timetable tweak.
Nine students in a class, half the faculty holding advanced degrees, and teachers who act as mentors rather than lecturers. Learning is student-driven and paced to mastery, so a child who needs another week gets it, and a child who is ready to run is allowed to run.
Fine arts and music academies, athletics, outdoor education, National Honor Society, student government, and the Perspectives Travel Program that takes students beyond their immediate surroundings. Whole-child development is the stated goal: intellectual, creative, social, physical, ethical and emotional.
Where it leads
Selwyn graduates include a US Congressman, esteemed judges, artists, physicians, attorneys, engineers, leaders in finance, a Hollywood producer, entrepreneurs, a goat herder, builders and architects, successful business owners and leaders, professors, ministers, authors, military leaders, and a renowned fashion designer.
One hundred percent of Selwyn graduates are accepted to a four-year college.
What it gives your family
The part of an independent school that nobody puts in a brochure is what it is like to be the parent. Here is what that looks like.
A child can arrive at three and leave with a diploma from the same campus, taught the whole way by faculty who know the family. You are not re-choosing a school at Grade 5, or at Grade 9, or the year everything changes at home.
Selwyn evolves and expands its curriculum according to the needs of its students and their families. Even the admissions tour is personalized: the school asks about your child's interests first, then builds the visit around them.
You will know your child's teachers, and they will know you. Meaningful assessment and feedback are given to students and parents regularly, not twice a year in an envelope. Questions get answered by the person who can answer them.
Selwyn is, in the school's own words, more than buildings and furniture, and it stays connected to former students, alumni and their families long after the last day. You are joining something in 1957's ninth decade, not enrolling in a service.
How we are different
Plenty of schools are small. Six things make this one different, and they are the reason a semester here tends to change how a child feels about school.
This is not a school where you will find children huddled over endless worksheets or studying to pass state-issued standardized tests. Students work together to solve problems, run experiments, explore the arts and debate global issues.
Selwyn's teaching philosophy holds that children are natural learners who develop on their own timeline. Instruction is differentiated, student-centered and adjusted to the child in front of the teacher, not to a grade-level average.
Experiential learning runs through every division, from PreK through Grade 12: labs, studios, the outdoors, athletics and real projects with real outcomes.
Selwyn is independent and non-sectarian. There is no religious instruction and no religious requirement, and there never has been. Families of every faith and none are equally at home here, which in this part of Texas makes Selwyn genuinely unusual.
The mission is to cultivate global citizens. Students graduate as independent thinkers and creative problem-solvers, resilient and emotionally intelligent, prepared for effective citizenship in a global society.
Everyone's voice matters here. Selwyn does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic origin or disability in any part of its programs, including admission and financial aid.
The school's own account of the difference, for the Upper School.
| The Selwyn approach | A traditional high school | |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | Intimate micro-school, fostering deep connection and safety. | Large, often impersonal, with a focus on standardization. |
| Curriculum | Individualized, flexible, and built around student passions. | Standardized, rigid, and designed to meet state mandates. |
| Pace | Students progress at their own pace, ensuring mastery. | Students move together, regardless of individual understanding. |
| Focus | Holistic development: academic, emotional, and personal growth. | Primarily focused on academic benchmarks and test scores. |
Why Selwyn
Selwyn is intentionally small, and everything else follows from that. A teacher who knows nine children well can teach each of them differently.
A child can arrive at three years old and leave with a diploma, taught the whole way by faculty who know the family. Individualized, student-centered teaching and experiential learning are designed to help each student grow into an independent thinker, a creative problem-solver and a compassionate leader.
An accredited independent school on a wooded campus in Argyle, Selwyn has taught students from preschool through Grade 12 since 1957.
Age 3 to Age 5
An open, engaging indoor-outdoor space, colorful and visually stimulating, built to encourage a lifelong love of learning.
Kindergarten to Grade 4
The fundamental building blocks: listening, reading, writing and arithmetic, plus the foundations of collaboration and leadership.
Grade 5 to Grade 8
Sharpens academic skills while focusing on what comes next: leadership, resilience, life experience and teamwork.
Grade 9 to Grade 12
Prepares students to be competitive and successful at top universities, or on whatever path fulfills their goals.
A look around
Photographs taken on the Selwyn campus in Argyle, Texas.
Eligibility
Six conditions. If your family meets all six, we would like to meet you.
Your child is entering any grade from PreK3 through Grade 12 in January 2027. Placement is confirmed during the admissions process.
The program is for students who are not currently enrolled at Selwyn and have not been enrolled here before. Current families are not eligible.
Your family lives close enough to Argyle for daily attendance, roughly a twenty minute drive. Selwyn does not provide transportation.
The same requirements that apply to every applicant, including the ISEE for students entering Grade 2 and above, official transcripts and teacher recommendations.
Applications close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2026. A file is complete when every required document has been received, so start early.
One sponsored semester per family. Siblings are welcome to apply for standard enrollment at the same time, and financial aid is assessed separately.
Selection is made by the Admission Committee on the merits of each application. There is no drawing, no purchase and no element of chance at any point. Selwyn School prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age and national origin, and is committed in policy, principle and practice to an environment that affirms the equality of all persons.
The process
This is Selwyn's standard admissions path, the same one every family follows. The only difference is the December 4 deadline and the January start. The Office of Admissions is with you at each step: 940-382-6771, extension 135.
Request a tour using the form below and the Director of Admissions will contact you within one business day to arrange a time that works for your family. Tours are led personally by the Director and take about an hour.
A visit is the most effective way to understand what makes Selwyn different. If you cannot come to campus yet, a virtual tour is available.
The online application and the non-refundable application fee are submitted together. The fee is $375 for domestic applicants from PreK3 through Grade 12. The application and fee must be received before testing can be scheduled.
Teacher recommendations and any previous standardized test scores are submitted at this stage as well.
Your child is encouraged to spend a full school day at Selwyn, attending classes alongside current students. It gives them a realistic sense of the pace and the community, and it gives our faculty a chance to see them at work.
Students entering Grade 2 and above take the Independent School Entrance Exam, which can be taken on the Selwyn campus. It gives the Admission Committee an objective reference point alongside everything else in the file.
Academic records are requested from your child's current school. Transcripts often take the longest to arrive, so request them as early as you can. Your file is not complete until they are received.
Once your file is complete the Admission Committee convenes. It reviews academic skills, individual talents, motivation toward learning, personal interests and developmental readiness. The goal is not to find the highest scores but the students who will thrive here and add something to the community.
Decisions are communicated before the winter break, and accepted families receive enrollment instructions so their child can start in January.
Start here
Tell us about your child and the Director of Admissions will contact you within one business day to arrange a visit.
Spring semester applications close Friday, December 4, 2026.
This form is not accepting submissions yet. Prefer to talk to a person? Call the Office of Admissions at 940-382-6771, extension 135.
Email admissionsQuestions
Tuition for the spring semester is covered in full by the program sponsor. Families remain responsible for the $375 application fee, the one-time new family fee, and incidental costs such as uniforms, athletics and optional trips. Exact terms are confirmed in writing with each selected family before the semester begins.
A limited number. The Admission Committee selects students who meet Selwyn's regular admissions requirements and whose files are complete by December 4.
No. Selection is made by the Admission Committee on the merits of each application, the same way every Selwyn admission decision is made. There is no drawing and no element of chance.
No. The semester carries no obligation to continue. Families who choose to stay enroll on standard terms for the following year and may apply for financial aid through the school's regular process.
A tour is not required, but it is strongly encouraged and it is the fastest way to know whether Selwyn is right for your family. You are welcome to apply directly at selwynschool.org/apply at any time.
No. Selwyn is an independent, non-sectarian school. Students of every background are welcome.
Applications for the sponsored semester close on December 4. Selwyn accepts applications for standard enrollment throughout the year, and the Office of Admissions can tell you what is available.