Best High Schools in Texas USA– Like many other states in the US, Texas operates its educational system through the public school system, where all Texas children are entitled to free public education. The School Board is responsible for overseeing each of these public schools. Here, a tiny elected council has control over the decisions and routine operations of the school district. Texas’s public schools continue to receive funding from the federal and state governments, and as a result, they are still subject to their rules and regulations.
Read: How Can a Student Be More Productive at School?
There are 1,481 schools in Texas on the annual U.S. News list of the best high schools in the nation, including 115 in Austin, 373 in Dallas, and 142 in San Antonio. The ranking methodology used by U.S. News is based on an analysis of four factors: graduation rate, college curriculum breadth, and state assessment proficiency and performance.
Students and their families will want to pick the high school that offers them the most educational options whether they desire to attend a public or a private high school. To be well-suited to engage in college or be ready to enter the workforce, a student must attend the correct high school that is in line with their interests and aspirations.
Top 10 Best High Schools in Texas
Several of the better high schools provide the opportunity to earn college credit concurrently with a student’s high school classes, which is a very alluring idea for kids interested in continuing their education after high school.
1- The School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG):
The School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) has once again been named the best school in Texas. Students have the option of choosing from 30 AP courses, but they must complete 12 of them to graduate. Students can collaborate with institutions and perform field research. The School for the Talented and Gifted is ranked first among public high schools in Texas and eighth overall by U.S. News and World Report.
TAG has 464 students enrolled in grades 9 to 12, and the school has 26 full-time equivalent instructors, giving it an 18 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio.TAG was honored in 2022 for its outstanding performance as a Title I magnet school by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
2- Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School:
The first Mexican-American woman to be elected to the Texas House of Representatives inspired the school’s name, which was given to it in 2004 when it was created as an all-girls prep school. The Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, a member of the Young Women’s Preparation Network, is the first public school in Texas completely focused on educating young women.
The school offers various Advanced Placement courses in addition to a STEM-focused curriculum as a member of the Young Women’s Preparation Network. Alumni of the school have the chance to connect with other alumni in the network on a professional level due to their membership in the network.
3- Science and Engineering Magnet School (SEM):
The 500+ students at Dallas’ Science and Engineering Magnet School have good possibilities to study STEM subjects through a variety of AP and dual-enrolment classes that are meant to help students succeed in their college careers. Another 2022 National Blue Ribbon School in the Dallas Independent School District is this public magnet school.
In terms of public high schools nationwide, the school is ranked number 22. In terms of public high schools in Texas, it is ranked number 3. The school provides a special “SuperLab” session that combines AP Physics C and AP Chemistry and enables students to learn the topics using a methodical, lab-based approach to instruction. The school’s Advanced Topics of the Theory of Applied Mathematics course is another distinctive offering.
4- Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA):
With the 2022 ranking, the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin is ranked first in its district. A competitive enrolment process is used at the school, and prospective students are selected based on their test results, teacher recommendations, and prior accomplishments. There are 121 honors courses and 30 AP courses available to students.
Collaborative group classes, in which “students research, design, implement, and present projects in various science and humanities subjects,” are some of its signature courses, according to U.S. News.
5- Carnegie Vanguard High School:
As a result of the Vanguard program at Jesse H. Jones Senior High School, Carnegie Vanguard was founded in 2002. Students must enroll in at least 10 AP courses to graduate from the school, and the core classes are all pre-AP or AP courses.
The new student orientation “Fish Camp,” an overnight stay hosted by the neighborhood YMCA that includes a variety of outdoor activities, is one of the school’s unusual traditions. The Carnegie Theatre Company, a student-run theatrical group, competes regularly at the state level and is maintained by the school.
6- St. Mark’s School of Texas, (Dallas, TX) :
St. Mark’s School of Texas is the ideal option for kids looking for a private Christian high school with top-notch academic options. It is ranked first on Niche.com’s ranking of the top private high schools in Texas. There are currently more than 900 pupils enrolled in all grades at this preparatory school for guys alone, which offers lessons from kindergarten through the 12th grade.
The school’s students benefit from an 8-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and have access to 22 AP courses, which are offered by St. Mark’s. The school’s Winn Science Centre, which was completed in 2019, is a first-rate building that gives students access to maker spaces, a planetarium, laboratories, and a greenhouse to support their study of science and engineering.
7- Greenhill School (Addison, Texas):
The kindergarten to 12th-grade students is given education by the coeducational, independent Greenhill School in Addison, Texas. More than 1,300 kids in all grade levels are now enrolled at the institution.
Classrooms, athletic facilities, libraries, and the school’s Marshall Family Performing Arts Centre are all located within 75 acres of the school’s campus. Two theatres, a green room, dressing rooms, and a classroom for film and video production make up the school’s performing arts complex.
8- St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (Austin, TX):
Texas-based St. Stephen’s Episcopal School is a coeducational boarding school. St. Stephen’s was both the first integrated boarding school in the southern part of the country and the first coeducational Episcopal institution in the United States. Students in grades 6 to 12 have boarding and day school choices at the institution.
There are currently 699 students enrolled in St. Stephen’s, with 34% of them boarding there five days a week.19% of the boarding students at the school come from nations other than the United States, welcoming students of all religions and backgrounds. An observatory, one of the school’s amenities, is accessible to the public once a month and is used as a teaching tool in the school’s numerous experiential science classrooms.
9- Liberal Arts and Science Academy(LASA)Austin, TX:
According to U.S. News and World Report, the school, which is ranked number four among public high schools in Texas and number 34 overall, had 28 students named as National Merit Semi-Finalists and 81 students named as National Merit Commended Scholars for the class of 2022 to 2023.
Among the demanding courses offered by LASA is an Amateur Radio course that allows students to obtain their own HAM licenses and the two-year LBJ Fire Academy, which certifies students as both firefighters and EMTs.
10- The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas
The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas is a private pre-K to twelfth-grade all-girls school. It offers both day school and boarding services to its 1,100+ pupils.16 National Merit Finalists and 17 National Merit Semi-Finalists came from the Hockaday class of 2022.
Even with having nationally renowned academics, the class of 2022 saw 91% of students receive scores of three or above on AP exams. Several Hockaday students take advantage of the school’s Institute for Social Impact-led courses that integrate academics and practical applications to build strong academic profiles.
To expand the school’s connection with community partners and to use experiential learning techniques to develop the leaders of the future, the institute was established in 2018.
Conclusion
These are some of Texas’ top high schools for helping students become ready for college achievement. Schools that excel at serving children from low-income families, as well as those that enroll and retain students, are honored with the College Success Award. Cities like Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio are helping Texas, formerly known for its oil and gas, to become a tech hub.
Of course, Austin’s nickname, Silicon Hills, is a well-liked location for tech firms, start-ups, and business owners. Texas’ technology culture is reflected in its educational system. It is quickly becoming a well-liked location for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. There are 3,240 high schools in the state, including 2,813 public schools and 427 private ones. These schools offer some of the best STEM learning options.
Our ranking of the top 5 high schools in Texas can be useful if you want to ensure that your child is prepared for the future and can attend the best university regardless of location.