Best Schools in San Antonio, TX — 2026 Rankings

San Antonio is one of the largest school markets in Texas, with 616 schools serving 354,126 students across a sprawling metro that stretches from the historic downtown core to fast-growing suburbs on every side. The city’s education landscape is shaped by a patchwork of independent school districts — a structure common in Texas but particularly pronounced here, where families a few miles apart can land in entirely different systems with different funding levels, priorities, and outcomes.

What stands out about San Antonio is the sheer volume of charter schools: 156 of the city’s 616 schools are charters, representing over 25% of the total. That is one of the highest charter penetrations among major Texas cities. Several charter networks — KIPP, CAST, and BASIS among them — have become serious competitors to traditional district schools, and multiple charters appear in the city’s top 10. There are no magnet schools in the dataset, which means families looking for specialized programs are largely choosing between district zoned schools and charter options.

The city’s average composite score sits at 4.7 out of 10, which places San Antonio below the statewide median. The gap between the city average and the top score of 9.0 is substantial — a 4.3-point spread that signals wide variation in school quality. Parents here cannot rely on neighborhood defaults; the difference between a strong school and a mediocre one can be a single zip code boundary.

Neighborhood and District Clusters

San Antonio’s top-performing schools cluster into a few distinct areas, each with its own character.

Alamo Heights / North Central — The Alamo Heights Independent School District dominates the top of the rankings. Alamo Heights H S, Olmos El, Woodstone El, Jackson-Keller El, and Castle Hills El all sit in or near this affluent corridor running north from Brackenridge Park. These schools share strong environment scores (7.3 to 9.2) and smaller class sizes, with student-teacher ratios between 11.7:1 and 13.2:1. This is the concentration of traditional public school quality in San Antonio — if you can afford the housing.

KIPP and CAST Networks (Citywide Charter) — Kipp Somos Collegiate, Cast Stem H S, and Cast Med H S are charter high schools that draw students from across the city. KIPP Somos (enrollment: 630) posts a 9.2 environment score and an 8.0 academic score, making it the second-ranked school in San Antonio. The two CAST schools are small and career-focused — 197 and 204 students respectively — with strong growth scores (9.4 for CAST STEM) that suggest students are making above-average progress year over year.

Northeast Corridor — Basis San Antonio - Northeast Campus represents the BASIS charter network’s footprint in the city. With only 138 students and an academic score of 8.9, it is the most academically rigorous school in the top 10 by raw academic marks. However, its environment score of 6.5 and higher student-teacher ratio (13.8:1) reflect the trade-off: intense academics, leaner resources.

North Side ISD / International Programs — International School of America pulls from the North Side ISD area and posts balanced scores across all dimensions — 8.4 academic, 6.8 growth, 9.2 environment — with a small enrollment of 496 and a favorable 11.3:1 student-teacher ratio.

Top 10 Schools in San Antonio — 2026 Rankings

1. Alamo Heights H S — Composite: 9.0/10 | State Rank: #28 The top-ranked school in San Antonio and 28th in all of Texas. Alamo Heights H S excels in growth (9.9), meaning students are making exceptional year-over-year progress regardless of where they start. Its academic score of 8.4 is strong, and with 1,537 students at a 12.8:1 ratio, it delivers results at scale. The environment score of 7.7 is solid but not elite — large high schools rarely top that category.

2. Kipp Somos Collegiate — Composite: 8.6/10 | State Rank: #114 A charter high school with 630 students that punches above its weight. The environment score of 9.2 is the highest among San Antonio’s top-ranked high schools, reflecting a smaller, more resource-rich setting. An 11.5:1 student-teacher ratio supports that. Academic score of 8.0 is competitive, though growth data is not yet available for this newer program.

3. International School of America — Composite: 8.6/10 | State Rank: #133 A high school serving 496 students with the best student-teacher ratio in the top 10 at 11.3:1. Academics (8.4) and environment (9.2) are both top-tier. The growth score of 6.8 is the one soft spot — students may be starting at a high level with less room for measured improvement, a common pattern at already-strong schools.

4. Olmos El — Composite: 8.5/10 | State Rank: #169 The highest-ranked elementary school in San Antonio. Olmos delivers an 8.6 academic score — the best among elementary schools in the top 10 — alongside a 7.9 growth score and 9.2 environment score. At 501 students with an 11.7:1 ratio, it hits the sweet spot of strong performance and manageable class sizes.

5. Woodstone El — Composite: 8.3/10 | State Rank: #256 Woodstone’s story is growth: a 9.3 growth score means students here are improving faster than at almost any other elementary school in the city. The academic score of 6.6 is more modest, suggesting students may enter below grade level but make significant gains. Environment score of 9.2 and 536 students at 11.7:1 mirror the Alamo Heights district profile.

6. Cast Stem H S — Composite: 8.3/10 | State Rank: #264 A tiny charter high school (197 students) focused on STEM careers. The 9.4 growth score is outstanding, and combined with a 6.1 academic score, it paints a picture of a school that takes students who may not be top performers on entry and moves them forward rapidly. The 13.1:1 ratio is reasonable for a career-focused program, and the environment score of 7.4 reflects its lean operation.

7. Cast Med H S — Composite: 8.1/10 | State Rank: #386 The medical-focused sibling to CAST STEM, serving 204 students. Academic score of 7.6 is notably higher than CAST STEM’s 6.1, suggesting stronger baseline test performance. The environment score of 7.7 and 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio are comparable. Growth data is pending, which limits a full comparison.

8. Jackson-Keller El — Composite: 8.0/10 | State Rank: #454 Another Alamo Heights area elementary with a familiar profile: 9.2 environment score, 11.7:1 student-teacher ratio, 514 students. The 8.5 growth score is strong, while the 6.5 academic score is a step below neighboring Olmos Elementary. The gap suggests that even within the same district, school-to-school variation is real and worth investigating.

9. Basis San Antonio - Northeast Campus — Composite: 7.9/10 | State Rank: #478 The highest academic score in the entire top 10 at 8.9, but the lowest environment score at 6.5. This is the BASIS model in action: rigorous curriculum, lean staffing, demanding expectations. With only 138 students and a 13.8:1 ratio, it is small but not intimate in the way lower ratios suggest. Parents should expect academic intensity with fewer support structures.

10. Castle Hills El — Composite: 7.9/10 | State Rank: #532 Rounding out the top 10, Castle Hills posts a balanced 8.2 academic and 8.1 growth score — the most even split among the elementary schools listed. The 7.3 environment score and 13.2:1 ratio are slightly below the Alamo Heights district average, reflecting a larger school (448 students) that still delivers strong outcomes.

What San Antonio Parents Should Know

San Antonio’s school landscape demands active decision-making. With 156 charter schools and zero magnet programs, the choice architecture is fundamentally different from cities where specialized magnets offer a structured alternative. Here, it is charter vs. traditional, and the quality varies enormously in both categories.

Class size matters here more than most cities. The city average student-teacher ratio is 14.3:1, but the top-performing schools cluster between 11.3:1 and 13.2:1. Schools in the Alamo Heights area consistently hit those lower ratios, and their environment scores reflect it. If your child benefits from smaller settings, prioritize schools under 13:1.

Charter schools are not a monolith. KIPP, CAST, and BASIS represent three entirely different educational philosophies — college prep, career pathways, and academic rigor, respectively. Their score profiles diverge sharply. KIPP Somos leads on environment (9.2); BASIS leads on academics (8.9); CAST STEM leads on growth (9.4). Know what your child needs before assuming “charter” means one thing.

The score distribution is wide. A 4.3-point gap between the city average (4.7) and the top score (9.0) is significant. Unlike cities where most schools cluster around the mean, San Antonio has clear winners and clear underperformers. Choosing carefully — and not defaulting to the zoned school — is more important here than in tighter markets.

The breakdown across school levels — 353 elementary, 86 middle, 116 high, and 40 K-12 or other — means elementary families have the most options but also face the widest quality range. Middle school is where options narrow sharply, with only 86 schools citywide.

How San Antonio Compares

San Antonio’s city average of 4.7/10 sits below the Texas statewide median. This is not surprising for a large, economically diverse metro — cities with significant poverty populations and wide demographic ranges tend to pull citywide averages down even when pockets of excellence exist. And San Antonio has clear pockets of excellence: a top score of 9.0 and four schools above 8.5 put the best options here on par with any city in Texas.

The spread tells the real story. A 4.3-point gap between average and top means the quality distribution is wide — wider than cities like Austin (3.7-point gap) where schools cluster more tightly. In practical terms, this means where you live in San Antonio matters more for school quality than in most comparable metros. A family in the Alamo Heights corridor has access to 8.0+ schools at every level; a family on the south or west side faces a very different landscape.

For a full breakdown of how Texas schools perform statewide, see our Texas rankings and methodology page explaining how we calculate composite scores.

Explore All San Antonio Schools

Browse all 616 San Antonio schools, filter by level and score, and compare options side by side on the San Antonio city page. Every school profile includes detailed score breakdowns, enrollment data, and student-teacher ratios to help you compare.

The Pattern That Matters

The most important thing a relocating parent should know about San Antonio is that growth scores and academic scores tell opposite stories at many schools — and understanding which one matters for your child is the real decision. Schools like Woodstone El (6.6 academic, 9.3 growth) and CAST STEM (6.1 academic, 9.4 growth) are taking students from lower starting points and accelerating them. Schools like BASIS (8.9 academic, no growth data) and Olmos El (8.6 academic, 7.9 growth) are starting with higher-performing students and maintaining that level.

Neither pattern is inherently better. A child who is already performing above grade level may thrive at a high-academic, moderate-growth school. A child who needs to catch up may benefit enormously from a high-growth environment where the school’s entire model is built around acceleration. San Antonio, more than most cities, gives you both options — but the zip code you choose determines which ones are accessible. Plan accordingly.