ACIS Partners with Houston Independent School District for DYAD NES International Travel Program

We have exciting news to share: ACIS has been chosen as an international educational travel provider for Houston Independent School District DYAD NES Programs for 2026.

You may recall that in 2024, the Houston Independent School District selected ACIS Educational Tours as a partner for one of their unique international travel programs. Thanks to generous grant funding incorporated into the district’s New Education System DYAD program, 8th graders within Houston ISD have the opportunity to travel internationally for free. In May 2025, the district sent over 200 students to Costa Rica with ACIS. Over the course of five days, students experienced highlights from ziplining through the rain forest, boating down the Rio Frio, crafting chocolate from cacao beans and more.

“I’ve loved the experience I’ve had on this trip. I’m opened to a new world, new adventures.”

– ACIS Student Traveler with HISD

“I’m here to give my students the experience of a lifetime, seeing their expressions when they’re meeting other people, tasting new foods, realizing that we’re not in this world by ourselves, that we’re actually here evolving in complex cultural situations that cause us to be part of the human species.”

– ACIS Group Leader with HISD

In 2026, students will be traveling with ACIS to both Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

“We are elated that the partnership with Houston has grown to this point,” ACIS Director of Partnerships Tricia Holda says. “We work extraordinarily hard to provide the best possible travel experience, from the moment you’re considering an itinerary abroad all the way through to the return journey home, and to know that Houston ISD sees the passion behind our work and agrees that we are doing right by students and teachers, is a really wonderful feeling.”

Learn more about this incredible partnership through our new video, which we made while on tour with Houston students in 2025.

Partnering with ACIS 

Your school and even your district could partner with ACIS too! In recent years we have been building out the travel programs for a variety of districts and national organizations, including the School Superintendents Association, Facing History and Ourselves and regional Girl Scouts councils across the U.S. 

For more information, contact our Director of Partnerships Tricia Holda at tholda@acis.com or schedule a call.