Top 10 high schools in Texas, national ranking shows. North Texas is well represented
Not to boast, but Dallas-Fort Worth area has the top four best high schools in the state.
U.S. News & World Report just came out with their list of best high schools in the nation. With 17,760 high schools ranked, BASIS Peroria in Peoria, Arizona, tops the list. Texas first pops up on the list at No. 6 with The School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) in Dallas.
TAG is obviously the number one school in Texas, as well as Dallas, and number three for Magnet schools in the country. Magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses. Out of all the ranked schools, 11.5% were charters and 4.4% were magnets, leaving the others to be considered as “traditional.”
Texas doesn’t show up on the list again until No. 23 with Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School located in Dallas.
Out of 2,021 Texas high schools ranked in the national list, here are the high schools that made Texas’ top ten.
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#1 The School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG)
Location: Dallas
Enrollment: 534
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
National ranking: 6
#2 Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School
Location: Dallas
Enrollment: 302
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
National ranking: 23
#3 Science and Engineering Magnet School (SEM)
Location: Dallas
Enrollment: 490
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
National ranking: 29
#4 Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute
Location: Grand Prairie
Enrollment: 131
Student-teacher ratio: 13:1
National ranking: 30
#5 Carnegie Vanguard High School
Location: Houston
Enrollment: 841
Student-teacher ratio: 22:1
National ranking: 31
#6 Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA)
Location: Austin
Enrollment: 1,432
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
National ranking: 38
#7 BASIS San Antonio- Shavano Campus
Location: San Antonio
Enrollment: 335
Student-teacher ratio: 16:1
National ranking: 64
#8 DeBakey High School for Health Professions
Location: Houston
Enrollment: 916
Student-teacher ratio: 17:1
National ranking: 70
#9 Brownsville Early College High School
Location: Brownsville
Enrollment: 348
Student-teacher ratio: 23:1
National ranking: 71
#10 Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet
Location: Dallas
Enrollment: 478
Student-teacher ratio: 18:1
National ranking: 85
How the list of best highschools in the U.S. 2024 was determined
U.S. News and World Report determines rankings based on six measures:
College Readiness 30%
The proportion of 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP or IB exam. Earning a qualifying score is worth three times more than just taking.
State Assessment Proficiency 20%
Aggregated scores on state assessments that students may be required to pass for graduation.
State Assessment Performance 20%
How aggregated scores on state assessments compare with U.S. News’ expectations given the proportion of students who are Black, Hispanic and from low-income households.
Underserved Student Performance 10%
Scores on state assessments aggregated just among students who are Black, Hispanic and from low-income households. These scores are compared with what is typical in the state for non-underserved students, with parity or higher being the goal.
College Curriculum Breadth 10%
The proportion of 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on AP and IB exams in multiple areas. More exams are valued more than fewer exams up to a maximum of four. Earning a qualifying score on an exam is worth three times more than taking.
Graduation Rate 10%
The proportion of entering ninth graders who graduated four academic years later.
