Currently employed K-12 teachers in Texas get free general admission to the Perot Museum, and K-12 educators in Texas and the states and country next door can take 15% off a membership. The free ticket is claimed in person at the Box Office, not online, and the discounts page says it doesn’t extend to homeschool educators.
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is in Dallas, and its own educators page calls the teacher ticket Teacher Preview Admission. The idea behind the name is a practical one: if you’re planning a field trip, go first, walk the halls and see the place the way your students will. It works just as well for a Saturday with your own kids, as long as you know where the edges of the offer are, which is what we’ve laid out below.
How To Get The Perot Museum Teacher Discount
On the day you visit, go to the “Need Tickets” line at the Box Office and show proof of current teaching status. That’s the wording on the discounts page. The educators page is more specific about the ID: it says to present a current district-issued ID at the Museum Box Office. The two pages word it differently, so a district-issued ID is the safe thing to carry.
You can’t reserve this offer online, and it doesn’t apply to tickets you’ve already bought: the discounts page says there are no discounts applied to pre-purchased tickets. Buy nothing ahead of time and walk up to the Box Office with your ID.
Who Counts As A Teacher
The free ticket is for currently employed K-12 teachers in Texas. The Texas part is in the museum’s wording on both pages, so a teacher who lives in Texas but works elsewhere, or the other way around, is a question for the Box Office. Homeschool educators are the group the discounts page rules out by name: the free-admission offer and the membership discount each say they don’t apply to them.
When The Free Ticket Doesn’t Work
The offer isn’t valid on the day of your scheduled field trip, so if you’re bringing a class, your free preview visit has to be a different day. The museum also can’t offer the discount on days and times when tickets are sold out, and the educators page says admission is subject to availability, so a day when tickets sell out is a risk worth planning around. What you get is the general admission ticket. The discounts page says traveling exhibitions, films and other special events aren’t included.
15% Off A Perot Museum Membership
If you’d rather join, the discounts page lists K-12 educators in Texas and bordering states among the groups that get 15% off a Perot Museum membership. It names the bordering areas: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Mexico, so a teacher in Shreveport or Santa Fe is covered by the membership discount even though the free ticket is for Texas only.
You have to show proof of current teaching status at a K-12 institution, and you have to do it in person: the page says to bring qualifying ID and/or proof of current status to the Box Office or Membership Desk on the day of your visit to sign up. The membership FAQ says the same thing for K-12 educators, with a relevant ID card. Homeschool educators are excluded here too. We didn’t find a separate educator membership on the page; the discount is worded as 15% off the purchase of a Perot Museum membership.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The pages don’t say whether a private school teacher’s ID counts, which kind of ID is accepted beyond the district-issued ID the educators page names, or whether a guest who comes with you gets any discount. They also don’t say how often you can use the free ticket. We didn’t find a free day for educators on the first Tuesday of the month, so if you’ve heard of one, check with the museum before you drive over.
Q&A
Is the Perot Museum teacher ticket really free?
Yes. The discounts page says the museum offers free admission for K-12 teachers in Texas.
Can I get it online?
No. The educators page says it’s available only at the Museum Box Office and can’t be reserved online.
Does it work on the day of my class field trip?
No. The educators page says it isn’t valid on the day of your scheduled field trip.
Can a homeschool teacher use it?
No. The discounts page says neither the free admission nor the membership discount applies to homeschool educators.
I teach in Oklahoma. Do I get anything?
The free ticket is for teachers in Texas, but the 15% membership discount covers K-12 educators in Texas and bordering states, and the page names Oklahoma.
Can I join at the discount online?
No. The page says the membership discount is only available in person at the Box Office, with qualifying ID shown on the day of your visit.
More Information:
The details above come from the Perot Museum’s own pages as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
