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Best public high schools in Texas

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April 1, 2024
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Best public high schools in Texas

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.4 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the 30 best public high schools in Texas using 2023 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. School districts are provided when available; otherwise, the city is listed instead.

A class of high schoolers as viewed from the rear.
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Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock

#30. Waxahachie Global High School

- Location: Waxahachie Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 391 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A student filling out a scantron form for a multiple choice test.
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Achira22 // Shutterstock

#29. Memorial High School

- Location: Spring Branch Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 2,531 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A student talking to a teacher in the hallway.
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#28. Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet School

- Location: Dallas Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 468 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A student standing next to their backpack as seen from the knee down.
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LightField Studios // Shutterstock

#27. Flower Mound High School

- Location: Lewisville Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 3,602 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students walking down a hallway with their backs facing the camera.
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Mircea Moira // Shutterstock

#26. Alief Early College High School

- Location: Alief Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 412 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A high school student doing a chemical experiment.
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#25. Cypress Woods High School

- Location: Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 3,185 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A high school student sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper.
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#24. Cypress Ranch High School

- Location: Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 3,549 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A student raising their hand in class.
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#23. Highland Park High School

- Location: Highland Park Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 2,260 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
An empty school hallway lined with red lockers.
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#22. Cinco Ranch High School

- Location: Katy Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 3,475 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A student solving a math equation on a whiteboard.
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#21. Uplift North Hills Preparatory - High School

- Location: Uplift Education, TX
- Enrollment: 494 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A row of empty desks with notebooks and pencils on them.
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#20. Kerr High School

- Location: Alief Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 790 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A hallway lined with green lockers.
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SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock

#19. Clear Horizons Early College High School

- Location: Clear Creek Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 416 (30:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A side view of a person using a laptop in the school library.
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#18. Meridian World School

- Location: Round Rock, TX
- Enrollment: 1,679 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
An empty classroom as viewed from the back.
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#17. Clements High School

- Location: Fort Bend Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 2,488 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A pencil case full of pens, pencils, and highlighters spilling on a table.
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#16. Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

- Location: Houston Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 781 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A group of students walking down the hall with their backs facing the camera.
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#15. Liberty High School

- Location: Frisco Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 1,936 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
An overhead view of high school pupils in group study sitting around circular tables.
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#14. BASIS San Antonio - Shavano Campus

- Location: BASIS Texas Charter Schools, TX
- Enrollment: 976 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students using microscopes in science class.
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock

#13. Coppell High School

- Location: Coppell Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 3,839 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
High school students studying and reading together in their school library.
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#12. Obra D. Tompkins High School

- Location: Katy Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 3,254 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students raising their hands for class participation.
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#11. Vandegrift High School

- Location: Leander Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 2,723 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A stack of textbooks with pens on top of them next to an open notebook.
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#10. Seven Lakes High School

- Location: Katy Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 3,582 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Two students sharing a book.
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#9. Debakey H.S. for Health Prof

- Location: Houston Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 891 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A high school student doing classwork on their laptop.
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#8. Westwood High IB World School

- Location: Round Rock Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 2,781 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A teacher writing an equation on a blackboard using chalk.
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#7. Carroll Senior High School

- Location: Carroll Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 1,394 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Students' backpacks sitting on a hallway floor.
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#6. Westlake High School

- Location: Eanes Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 2,823 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Bookshelves at a high school's library.
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#5. South Texas ISD Science Academy

- Location: South Texas Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 764 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A stack of spiral noteboooks in front of a wooden background.
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#4. Carnegie Vanguard High School

- Location: Houston Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 823 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Two rows of red lockers.
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#3. Liberal Arts & Science Academy

- Location: Austin Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 1,309 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
Empty desks in a high school classroom.
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Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock

#2. School of Science & Engineering

- Location: Dallas Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 501 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+
A closeup of a student taking notes in class.
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#1. School for the Talented & Gifted

- Location: Dallas Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 502 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: Grade A+

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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