Best Schools in Garland, Texas

Garland's public school system spans 67 ranked campuses — a substantial city-wide pool that gives families a real range of options to compare. The system-wide average sits at 5.4 out of 10, a useful baseline that signals most schools land in the middle tier. Performance varies meaningfully from one campus to the next, and only 6 schools — roughly 9% of ranked campuses — score 7 or higher. Top performers are a distinct minority within a larger field.

The highest-rated campus in the city is Lakeview Centennial High School, scoring 7.8 out of 10 — a mark matched by Price Elementary. Kimberlin Academy for Excellence, an elementary campus, follows at 7.7. North Garland High School (7.4) and Caldwell Elementary (7.2) round out the top five. Two of the top three campuses serve elementary grades, which makes this an especially competitive search window for parents with younger children.

At the secondary level, Lakeview Centennial and North Garland both clear the top tier, offering above-average options for families in those attendance zones. The gap between these campuses and the city average is nearly 2 full points — a wide spread that makes attendance zone one of the highest-leverage decisions a Garland parent can make. Parents researching middle grades will find fewer standout names in the top-rated group; the field skews toward elementary and high school campuses.

With 67 schools across all grade levels, Garland offers enough volume to make meaningful comparisons — but the 9% top-scorer rate means strong campuses are spread thin. Start with your assigned attendance zone, then cross-reference school scores to gauge whether a zone transfer or magnet application changes the picture. Kimberlin Academy for Excellence is the clearest example of a specialized campus worth researching early, before enrollment windows close.