20 Best Public High Schools in Texas – 2025

If you live in the great state of Texas, you’ve probably wondered what the best public high school is in the state. For many students, finding the ideal high school is just as important as scoping out the right university. Especially for students whose academic interests are defined early, public high schools that offer specialized curriculums are a big draw. The schools on this list not only prepare students for the next step in their academic careers, but also give them the skills to succeed at college.

Texas might be known for its football teams, its BBQ, and its unique political lanscape, but it’s also home to some of the best public high schools in the country. From performing and fine arts institutions to STEM-focused campuses, the best public high schools in Texas are well-equipped to foster a wide variety of student interests.

What’s more, the best public schools in Texas are close to some of the top-rated universities in the country. Rice University, Texas A&M, and UT-Austin consistently top the national list of highly-ranked universities. While going private is an option, there are plenty of rigorous public high schools in Texas that provide a world-class education.

Best Public High Schools in Texas

When assembling this list, we reviewed several factors. These factors include the school’s statewide ranking, the number of students who passed at least one AP exam, average SAT and ACT scores, and graduation rate. Additionally, we reviewed the College Readiness Index of each school.

It’s important to note that while this list is selective, the schools are presented alphabetically. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at 20 of the best public schools in Texas to see how they help prepare high schoolers for the next step in their academic careers.

1) Achieve Early College High School 

• Location: McAllen (McAllen ISD)
• Enrollment: 411
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 10:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 9

With an unbelievable 10:1 student-teacher ratio, the ECHS stands out among the schools on this list. Through a partnership with South Texas College, all students attending AECHS have the opportunity to graduate with an Associate of Arts degree. This means that AECHS graduates can potentially earn their bachelor’s degree two years after graduating high school. Though the clubs seem scant, AECHS offers 20 UIL competition teams, from calculator applications to spelling and vocabulary.

2) Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

• Location: Austin (Austin ISD)
• Enrollment: 895 (grades 6-12)
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 20:1 (grades 6-12)
• # of AP Courses Offered: 16

Named for the last Democratic governor of Texas, this school is affiliated with the Young Women’s Preparatory Network, which aims to give young women “the academic and leadership skills to achieve success in college and life.” (As you’ll see, at least four of the schools on this list are affiliated with the YWPN.) According to their website, the ARS “comprises a community of scholars committed to changing the world.” The school is dedicated to “prepar[ing] young women to attend and graduate from college, commit to a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle, lead with courage and compassion, and solve problems creatively and ethically in support of our global community.” You can listen to their fight song here.

3) BASIS San Antonio – Shavano Campus

• Location: San Antonio (Basis Texas)
• Enrollment: 1,018
• Student-Teacher Ratio: not provided
• # of AP Courses Offered: 30

As a private, for-profit charter school, data on BASIS schools can be hard to find. While it’s true that BASIS’s Shavano campus ranks high on the list of best “public” high schools in Texas, there is some concern that BASIS focuses too much on AP exams to the detriment of student well-being and accessibility.

4) Brownsville Early College High School

• Location: Brownsville (Brownsville ISD)
• Enrollment: 348
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 23:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 2

This school deserves a special shoutout. In a recent year, a staggering 93% of BECHS’s students were classified as economically disadvantaged. What’s more, BECHS only offers two AP courses (generally, AP courses loom large in the rankings). Even given these structural headwinds, this school manages a 100% graduation rate and a 98% attendance rate. What’s more, 100% of its students earned college credit while in high school.

5) Carnegie Vanguard High School

• Location: Houston (Houston ISD)
• Enrollment: 841
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 22:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 32

On its website, Carnegie Vanguard states that it aims “to provide a unique and challenging learning environment to prepare the diverse gifted & talented population…for leadership in a global society.” While not a ground-breaking mission statement, CVHS does offer an impressive 32 (out of a possible 40) AP courses, and was recently awarded the AP Access Award, which honors schools that encourage low-income and underrepresented minority students to take AP courses.

6) DeBakey High School for Health Professions

• Location: Houston (Houston ISD)
• Enrollment: 916
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 24

This campus is located on the Texas Medical Center campus. There, students have access to the resources at notable research facilities. In partnership with local universities, students can attend undergraduate courses there in a program designed specifically for students of this school. Given its specialized curriculum, competition is fierce for this magnet school. Unlike some of the schools on this list, the list of student clubs is impressive. At the same time, the clubs do seem to be organized with future college applications in mind.

7) Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute

• Location: Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie ISD)
• Enrollment: 395
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 12

Though GPCI offers relatively few AP courses, it supplements its educational offerings with partnerships with the University of Texas and the Dallas County College network. What’s more, students (called “scholars” at GPCI) visit at least two colleges per year, go on varied excursions around the Dallas metroplex, and participate in community service both on campus and outside the campus.

8) Health Career High School

• Location: San Antonio (Northside ISD)
• Enrollment: 896
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 15:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 23

HCHS has a dual mission. First, it aims to “engage all students in rich academics focused on meaningful applications of medical knowledge and skills.” Perhaps more importantly, it hopes that “every student grows in compassion, integrity, and excellence.” (I’m not quite sure how someone grows in “excellence,” but that’s beside the point.) As befits its name, students at HCHS have many opportunities for internships and externships including those in medical, research, dental, pharmaceutical, or related career fields at University Hospital, the UT Health Science Center, and the Methodist Specialty Transplant Hospital.

9) Hector J. Garcia Early College High School

• Location: Laredo (Laredo ISD)
• Enrollment: 399
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 21:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 2

Located on the border with Mexico, 99% of this school’s students identify as Hispanic, and 88% are classified as economically disadvantaged. In spite of these structural headwinds, Hector J. Garcia ECHS has a 100% graduation rate. In partnership with Texas A&M International University, the vast majority of students at Hector J. Garcia earned over 40 dual credit hours.

10) Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School

• Location: Dallas (Dallas ISD)
• Enrollment: 599
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 15

In an unfortunate case of rhyme, this school’s full name is the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School. This is probably why Texas government websites drop the “Lerma” when they list this school. Nonetheless, as the first all-girls public school in Texas, Irma Lerma Rangel has noble aims. Though their motto is inadvertently cringe — “Girls Today. Women Tomorrow. Leaders Forever.” — Irma Lerma Rangel does boast a 100% graduation rate.

11) Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet

• Location: Dallas (Dallas ISD)
• Enrollment: 478
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 23:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 25

Located in the same complex as the other Dallas magnet schools on this list, this school’s silly-sounding moniker belies its sterling academic reputation. (Harold Barefoot Sanders Jr. is best known for overseeing the lawsuit to desegregate Dallas ISD.) You might think this school is exclusively pre-law, but you would be incorrect. According to its slick introductory video, JBSLM “uses the study of law as a framework to help…students develop the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills to be successful in any pursuit they follow.”

12) Kinder High School for the Performing Arts

• Location: Houston (Houston ISD)
• Enrollment: 786
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 16:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 19

A performing arts magnet school, Kinder HS is divided into six art areas — vocal music, instrumental music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and creative writing. Students spend about three hours per day in their art areas and the rest of their time on academics and electives. Kinder’s focus on the creative arts doesn’t mean they’re academic slouches — KHS offers a bevy of AP courses and aims to foster a sense of community and responsibility.

13) Liberal Arts & Science Academy (LASA)

• Location: Austin (Austin ISD)
• Enrollment: 1,431
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 34

The Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) claims to be “a community built on ideas, innovation, and an independent spirit.” (It certainly has a cool video on Vimeo.) LASA features a world-class education, rigorous instruction, and robust hands-on learning opportunities. (It has the most AP courses of any school on this list.) LASA aims to balance academic rigor and a nurturing environment so that students are able to explore a range of artistic and intellectual talents. What’s more, LASA sends student teams to such state and national competitions as the Science Olympiad, Siemens-Westinghouse, and the Intel Science Fair. Just what you’d expect from one of the best public high schools in Texas.

14) School of Health Professions

• Location: Dallas (Dallas ISD)
• Enrollment: 465
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 24

Housed in the same complex as the other Dallas magnet schools, the SHP offers five pathways — medical laboratory, patient care technician, clinical medical assisting, dental assisting, and exercise science. This school isn’t just about stethoscopes and scalpels — in addition to getting career-ready, students get a broad introduction to research, information literacy, and culture.

15) School for the Talented and Gifted

• Location: Dallas (Dallas ISD)
• Enrollment: 534
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 30

Founded in 1982, TAG’s motto is “Be interested. Be interesting.” More compelling is the fact that every student is required to take a minimum of ten AP courses in order to graduate. As you can imagine, competition is fierce to get into TAG. As befits its rigor, TAG offers a host of competitive groups — from mock trial and AcDec to robotics and model UN. Perhaps because of the academic intensity, club life at TAG seems scant.

16) School of Science and Engineering

• Location: Dallas (Dallas ISD)
• Enrollment: 490
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 18:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 31

Housed in the same complex as the School for the Talented and Gifted, the science and engineering magnet (SEM) lets students spend half of every school day immersed in math, science, and technology. In case you’re worried that students won’t be able to do anything but CAD and code, never fear! SEM emphasizes that math, science, and technology are not enough. Though it instrumentalizes language and communication, SEM does admit that “an engineer is a better engineer if they can write up a report on their findings.”

17) Talkington School for Young Women Leaders

• Location: Lubbock (Lubbock ISD)
• Enrollment: 469
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1 (grades 6-12)
• # of AP Courses Offered: 18

The Talkington School is affiliated with the Young Woman’s Preparatory Network, which also sponsors the Irma Lerma Rangel school. Some highlights of Talkington: all students in grades 6-12 will visit at least one college per year, with most visiting over 20 colleges by the time they graduate. In addition, each student may take a summer workshop or camp — fully paid for by Talkington. Finally, All 11th graders are invited to attend an educational tour of Washington, D.C., including many national monuments and laying the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

18) Trinidad Garza Early College at Mt. View College

• Location: Dallas (Dallas ISD)
• Enrollment: 438
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 21:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 10

Like many of the other “early college” programs on this list, the Trinidad “Trini” Garza ECHS allows students to graduate high school with an associate degree. Though this school does assert that its “commitment to lifelong learning has earned us a track record of outstanding student achievement worthy of national awards,” additional information is hard to find.

19) World Languages Institute

• Location: Fort Worth (Fort Worth ISD)
• Enrollment: 549
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 15:1
• # of AP Courses Offered: 21

The WLI is a multilingual school that provides a focus for students who are interested in pursuing a rigorous academic program in English and Spanish. (What’s more, students can opt for another language as well, including Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian, or ASL.) Optional academic endorsements include arts and humanities; business and industry; multidisciplinary studies; STEM; or CTE.

20) Young Women’s Leadership Academy

• Location: San Antonio (San Antonio ISD)
• Enrollment: 528
• Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1 (grades 6-12)
• # of AP Courses Offered: 21

If you’re keeping score at home, this is the fourth school on the list affiliated with the Young Women’s Preparatory Network. They must be doing something right. As San Antonio’s first all-girls public school, YWLA aims to be a “rigorous, yet supportive school that empowers young women to uncover the leaders within them.”

Final Thoughts

Preparing for college starts in high school. Whether it be joining a variety of extracurriculars or opting for advanced classes, students should be aware of how their high school career will translate to college success. The best public high schools in Texas are perfect for students with specialized interests to get a jump on their college education.

Ultimately, there are many public high schools across Texas with top-notch academics. Whatever your interest, there are a wide variety of public high schools in Texas that will prepare them well for the next step in their academic careers.

Consider checking out the following relevant blogs:

• Best Public High Schools in California
• Top Public High Schools in New Jersey
• Best Public High Schools in NYC
• 10 Best Online High Schools
• Best Private High Schools in San Antonio
• Top Private High Schools in Dallas
• Best Private High Schools in Houston