Best Schools in Texas (2026)

Texas runs one of the largest public school systems in the country, with 8,547 ranked schools and a statewide average score of 6.2 out of 10. That average masks enormous variation across a state this size. Of those ranked schools, 2,998 — about 35% — score 7 or higher, meaning parents who research carefully can locate strong options in most regions. The system spans 4,678 elementary schools, 1,693 middle schools, and 1,699 high schools, giving families a wide field to compare at every grade level.

Performance at the top end skews toward smaller, rural districts rather than the major metros. Nursery Elementary in Nursery leads the state with a 9.9 out of 10, while Kirksey Elementary in Booker, Brady High School in Brady, Gruver Junior High in Gruver, and Veribest Elementary in Veribest all score 9.8. These communities are spread across the Coastal Bend, the Panhandle, and the Hill Country region — a consistent pattern showing that tight-knit smaller districts frequently outperform larger urban systems on measured outcomes.

In the major metros, quality varies sharply by district and even by individual campus. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Houston area each contain hundreds of schools, and scores range from the low 4s to the high 9s within the same metro. San Antonio and Austin follow the same pattern. Parents in these cities should compare schools at the campus level rather than relying on district reputation alone. Suburban districts ringing each major city — particularly in the DFW and Houston corridors — tend to post stronger aggregate scores than their urban core counterparts, though standout campuses exist throughout.

For parents moving to Texas or choosing between neighborhoods, the 35% of schools scoring 7 or above provides a workable filter. Prioritizing schools in that tier still leaves nearly 3,000 options statewide. The split between school types also matters for planning: with 4,678 elementary schools versus roughly 1,700 each at the middle and high school levels, elementary options are considerably more numerous, which can give families more flexibility when children are young and fewer choices to navigate as they move into secondary grades.

The practical takeaway is to treat Texas school research as a campus-by-campus exercise rather than a district-wide one. The statewide 6.2 average signals that a significant portion of schools underperform relative to national benchmarks, but high-scoring schools exist in virtually every region — from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast. Use school-level scores, enrollment size, and proximity together to build a realistic shortlist. Rural and small-town schools consistently appear at the top of the rankings, so families with flexibility on location should factor those communities into their search alongside the major urban centers.