6.4 avg / 10

Best Schools in Amarillo, Texas

85 schools · 51 Elementary · 18 Middle · 14 High · 2 Other

Last updated: July 2026

Public: 76

Private: 9

Districts: 5

Avg Rating: 6.4/10

Estimated Scores: 1%

Move-ready shortlistcity map + schools

Choosing a school in Amarillo?

Use this page to compare every school in Amarillo by level, neighborhood, and district — and find the right fit, not just the top of the list.

Explore the map How we rate schools

Shortlist starter

Start with these real page-level signals, then use the full table and map below.

Middle · River Road ISD. Ranked from real test data; use the map and table below to check address fit.

Elementary · Amarillo ISD. Ranked from real test data; use the map and table below to check address fit.

The short answer

The top-rated schools in Amarillo for 2026 are River Road Middle (8.8/10), Belmar EL (8.6/10), and Eastridge EL (8.5/10), based on MySchoolScout's analysis of real test data across 50 rated schools. Ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic achievement, and school environment (plus college readiness for high schools), with equity shown as context, not scored; schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Best value · beats the odds

Eastridge EL

Rates 8.5/10 despite 95% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 2.6 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Amarillo schools.

Most improved · 2022 → 2024

Oak Dale EL

STAAR proficiency rose +17.3 points from 2022 to 2024. That's the biggest jump among Amarillo schools across the two most recent comparable testing years.

Top-Rated Schools in Amarillo

Ranked by MySchoolScout composite using only schools with real test data (50 of 85). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.

#	School	Rating	Level	Value	State %ile
1	River Road Middle	8.8 / 10	Middle	+2.4	95th
2	Belmar EL	8.6 / 10	Elementary	+2.0	93th
3	Eastridge EL	8.5 / 10	Elementary	+2.6	91th
4	Ascension Academy	8.5 / 10	High	—	98th
5	Wolflin EL	8.4 / 10	Elementary	+2.1	90th
6	Sleepy Hollow EL	8.4 / 10	Elementary	+1.4	90th
7	Woodlands EL	8.3 / 10	Elementary	+1.3	89th
8	Wills EL	8.1 / 10	Elementary	+2.2	85th
9	Lorenzo De Zavala Middle	8.0 / 10	Middle	+1.0	83th
10	West Plains J H	8.0 / 10	Middle	+1.1	83th

See every school — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.

Family Snapshot

At a glance

Avg school rating: 6.4/10
Median household income: $67,340
Median home value: $189,808
Bachelor's degree or higher: 24%
Avg commute: 20 min
Owner-occupied homes: 66%

How Amarillo compares

Texas rank

#353 of 654

cities by avg. school score

Vs. state average

+0.1

above Texas avg (6.3)

Median household income

$67k

91% of Texas median

Schools in this city

81

Education Snapshot

Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo's 85 schools across 5 districts enroll roughly 40,126 students. The level mix leans toward the early grades: 51 elementary campuses feed into 18 middle schools and 14 high schools. Across 81 rated schools, the city averages 6.4/10, edging above the Texas state average of 6.3/10. On economic indicators, Amarillo trails the state: median household income is $62,875, 21% below the Texas state median of $79,932, and just 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. With one charter school operating alongside the five public districts, most families' enrollment choices are shaped largely by district boundaries. The 6.4/10 city average is a starting point — individual school ratings span a wide range across 81 campuses, and school-level comparisons are the more precise guide for families evaluating any specific campus.

About Schools in Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo, Texas gives parents 74 ranked public schools to evaluate, with an average score of 7.0 out of 10 — a competitive baseline that puts roughly half the city's schools at or above that mark. Forty-nine percent of Amarillo's ranked schools score 7 or higher, meaning parents here have meaningful options across multiple neighborhoods, not just a handful of outliers pulling the average up.

Elementary performance leads the city's story. Wolflin Elementary sits at the top with a 9.3 out of 10, the highest score among all 74 ranked schools. Puckett Elementary (8.9) and Landergin Elementary (8.8) follow closely, with Forest Hill and Park Hills both posting 8.6. Five elementary schools clearing the 8.5 threshold in a single mid-sized city signals a strong feeder layer — a detail worth weighing if you're planning ahead for middle and high school trajectories.

Amarillo operates under the Amarillo Independent School District, a single-district city of roughly 200,000 residents. That structure means enrollment boundaries and school assignment policies are consistent across the city, and parents moving within Amarillo can research school zones without navigating competing district rules. The concentration of high-scoring elementaries in specific pockets of the city — Wolflin, Puckett, Landergin — does suggest that performance is geographically uneven, so address-level research matters more than the city average alone.

For parents starting their search, the practical move is to identify your target school zone first, then check how that school compares against Amarillo's 7.0 city average. If you're flexible on neighborhood, the top five elementary corridor offers strong options. If your children are older, use the elementary scores as a proxy for community investment in education in that zone and cross-reference middle and high school data for the full picture. With 36 of 74 schools scoring 7 or above, Amarillo rewards research — the options are there for parents willing to dig into the data.

Filter by Level: All Levels (85) Elementary (51) Middle (18) High (14)

Filter by Type: All Types (85) Public (76) Private (9)

Filter by Rating: All Ratings (85) Academics (75) Growth (72) Diversity (74) Resources (75)

Filter by ZIP: 79107 (16) 79109 (13) 79106 (10) 79110 (10) 79118 (8) 79102 (6) 79108 (5) 79103 (4) 79104 (4) 79119 (3) 79120 (3)

Elementary Schools

51 schools

#	School	Enrollment	Grades	Rating
1	Belmar EL 378 students · Pre-K–5th	378	Pre-K–5th	8.6
2	Eastridge EL 550 students · Pre-K–5th	550	Pre-K–5th	8.5
3	Wolflin EL 316 students · Pre-K–5th	316	Pre-K–5th	8.4
4	Sleepy Hollow EL 515 students · Pre-K–5th	515	Pre-K–5th	8.4
5	Woodlands EL 454 students · Pre-K–4th	454	Pre-K–4th	8.3
6	Wills EL 484 students · Pre-K–5th	484	Pre-K–5th	8.1
7	Emerson EL 512 students · Pre-K–5th	512	Pre-K–5th	7.9
8	Pleasant Valley EL 199 students · Pre-K–5th	199	Pre-K–5th	7.9
9	Windsor EL 440 students · Pre-K–5th	440	Pre-K–5th	7.9
10	Arden Road EL 414 students · Pre-K–4th	414	Pre-K–4th	7.8

Show all 51 elementary schools in Amarillo

Private and public school ratings use different data sources and scoring models, so scores are not directly comparable across school types.

Middle Schools

18 schools

#	School	Enrollment	Grades	Rating
1	River Road Middle 305 students · 6th–8th	305	6th–8th	8.8
2	Lorenzo De Zavala Middle 406 students · 5th–8th	406	5th–8th	8.0
3	West Plains J H 601 students · 7th–8th	601	7th–8th	8.0
4	Pinnacle Int 559 students · 5th–6th	559	5th–6th	7.6
5	Bonham Middle 868 students · 6th–8th	868	6th–8th	7.5
6	Crockett Middle 860 students · 6th–8th	860	6th–8th	7.2
7	Greenways Int 620 students · 5th–6th	620	5th–6th	7.1
8	Travis Middle 612 students · 6th–8th	612	6th–8th	6.6
9	Bowie 6th Grade Campus 341 students · 6th–6th	341	6th–6th	6.6
10	Austin Middle 687 students · 6th–8th	687	6th–8th	5.8

Show all 18 middle schools in Amarillo

Highland Park Middle Bowie Middle Mann Middle Randall J H Houston Middle Fannin Middle Johnny N Allen-6th Grade Campus Travis 6th Grade Campus

High Schools

14 schools

#	School	Enrollment	Grades	Rating
1	Highland Park H S 224 students · 9th–12th	224	9th–12th	7.7
2	Amarillo H S 2,170 students · 9th–12th	2,170	9th–12th	7.1
3	Randall H S 1,081 students · 9th–12th	1,081	9th–12th	6.8
4	Tascosa H S 2,208 students · 9th–12th	2,208	9th–12th	5.8
5	River Road H S 387 students · 9th–12th	387	9th–12th	5.8
6	Palo Duro H S 1,902 students · 9th–12th	1,902	9th–12th	5.6
7	Caprock H S 2,137 students · 9th–12th	2,137	9th–12th	5.1
8	North Heights Alter 120 students · 9th–12th	120	9th–12th	5.0
9	Richard Milburn Academy Amarillo 122 students · 9th–12th	122	9th–12th	4.0
10	Youth Ctr of High Plains 48 students · 5th–12th	48	5th–12th	3.6

Show all 14 high schools in Amarillo

Private and public school ratings use different data sources and scoring models, so scores are not directly comparable across school types.

Amtech Career Academy West Plains H S Ascension Academy Private Holy Cross Catholic Academy Private

Other Schools

2 schools

#	School	Enrollment	Grades	Rating
1	San Jacinto Christian Academy Private 270 students · Pre-K–12th	270	Pre-K–12th	6.8
2	Central Baptist Christian Academy Private 9 students · 3rd–12th	9	3rd–12th	—

Schools in Amarillo

Amarillo, Texas · 85 schools

Community Demographics

Census ACS 2022 5-Year Estimates across 12 ZIP codes

Median Income

$67,340

Median Home Value

$189,808

Median Rent

$1,070/mo

Population

232,170

College Educated

24%

Homeownership

66%

Avg Commute

20 min

Poverty Rate

14.6%

Community Profile

Amarillo has a median household income of $67,340. It is a community where 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The median home value in the area is $189,808, with a median rent of $1,070/month. The area has a poverty rate of 14.6%. The average commute for residents is 20 minutes. Source: U.S. Census ACS 2022 5-Year Estimates.

Schools by Level

State: Texas
Elementary: 51
Middle: 18
High: 14
Other: 2

Resources

🔍 Google "Amarillo schools" 🏫 GreatSchools Amarillo 📊 Niche Amarillo Rankings 📍 Google Maps: Schools

School Districts (5)

RICHARD MILBURN ALTER HIGH SCHOOL (KILLEEN)

9 schools · 1,450 students

AMARILLO ISD

55 schools · 29,729 students

CANYON ISD

21 schools · 11,378 students

HIGHLAND PARK ISD

3 schools · 788 students

RIVER ROAD ISD

4 schools · 1,191 students

Nearby Cities

Lewisville (3 schools)

Panhandle (3 schools)

29 mi

Fritch (3 schools)

35 mi

Boys Ranch (3 schools)

Other Major Cities in Texas

Top metros statewide by school count.

Houston 899 schools San Antonio 616 schools Dallas 480 schools Austin 339 schools Fort Worth 288 schools

How we rate schools

A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.

See how we rate

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about schools in Amarillo, Texas

How many schools are in Amarillo, Texas?

Amarillo has 85 schools, including 76 public and 9 private schools spanning elementary, middle, and high school levels.

What is the average school rating in Amarillo, Texas?

The average MySchoolScout composite score for schools in Amarillo is 6.4 out of 10, built from student growth, poverty-adjusted academic achievement, and school environment — plus college readiness for high schools.

What is the top-ranked school in Amarillo, Texas?

The top-ranked school in Amarillo on MySchoolScout is River Road Middle with a composite score of 8.8/10.

What is the best elementary school in Amarillo, Texas?

The top-ranked elementary school in Amarillo on MySchoolScout is Belmar EL with a composite score of 8.6/10.

What is the best middle school in Amarillo, Texas?

The top-ranked middle school in Amarillo on MySchoolScout is River Road Middle with a composite score of 8.8/10.

What is the best high school in Amarillo, Texas?

The top-ranked high school in Amarillo on MySchoolScout is Ascension Academy with a composite score of 8.5/10.

How many school districts serve Amarillo, Texas?

Amarillo is served by 5 school districts: Richard Milburn Alter High School (killeen), Amarillo ISD, Canyon ISD, Highland Park ISD, River Road ISD.

What is the education level in Amarillo, Texas?

According to Census data, 24% of adults in Amarillo have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the median income in Amarillo, Texas?

The median household income in Amarillo is approximately $67,340 according to Census ACS 2022 estimates.

Are there private schools in Amarillo, Texas?

Yes, Amarillo has 9 private schools alongside 76 public schools. The top-rated private school is Ascension Academy with a score of 8.5/10.

What is the student-teacher ratio in Amarillo, Texas?

The average student-teacher ratio across schools in Amarillo is 13.7:1. This ratio varies by school, so families should check individual school profiles for specific classroom sizes.

How does MySchoolScout rate schools in Amarillo, Texas?

MySchoolScout rates schools using publicly available data from the NCES Common Core of Data and state education departments. Each school receives a 1-10 composite score built from Student Growth, Poverty-Adjusted Academic Achievement, and School Environment — plus College Readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context but not scored.