The second largest state in the the nation as well as the second most populous, the Lone Star State excels at putting students out into the world with a high school diploma, ranking #4 in the nation in graduation rate according to U.S. News & World Report.

Texas’ best public school district is Highland Park Independent School District (Dallas County), comprising seven schools located in Highland Park and University Park. HPISD has long been recognized for its academic excellence, with a whopping 27 students from Highland Park HIgh School being named National Merit Semifinalists in 2017.

Ranking #2 is Lovejoy Independent School District, based in Collin County, TX. Established in 1917, Lovejoy was recently the winner of the State of Texas HEB Excellence in Education Award.

Falls City Independent School District, a small system of two schools based in Falls City, around 30 miles southeast of San Antonio, comes in third. Due to its high level of academic achievement, Falls City High School was awarded a bronze medal by U.S. News, signifying its status as one of the top high schools in the nation.

At #4 is Carroll Independent School District of Southlake, TX, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Carroll ISD is the largest district in the state to hold the “Exemplary” rating granted by the Texas Education Agency.

Rounding out Texas’ top five is Klondike Independent School District, another district to earn the distinction of an “Exemplary” rating.

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.