Several Dallas-Fort Worth elementary and middle schools are at the top of the class when it comes to educating and preparing the next generation for a successful life and career, according to U.S. News & World Report's just-released list of 2025 Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.
One such school – William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted in Dallas ISD – has taken the lead over the rest of the state as the No. 2 best elementary and middle school in Texas for 2025.
U.S. News ranked over 79,000 public schools on the state and district level using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on their students' proficiencies in mathematics and reading/language arts on state assessments, and tie-breakers were decided based on student-teacher ratios.
Texas' best elementary schools for 2025
William B. Travis Academy came second to J Kawas Elementary in Laredo in the Texas elementary school rankings. According to U.S. News, this Dallas public school has a total enrollment of 502 students, with 94 percent of the student population scoring "at or above the proficient level" in mathematics, and 100 percent proficiency in reading. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 16:1, with 31 full-time teachers and 1 full-time school counselor.
Sudie L. Williams Talented and Gifted Academy also ranked among the statewide top 10, coming in at No. 6 with a total enrollment of 429 students. 89 percent of Sudie students are proficient in math, and 95 are proficient in reading, U.S. News said.
"Compared with the district, the school did better in math and better in reading, according to this [test score] metric," U.S. News said in the school's profile. "In Dallas Independent School District, 46 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 40 percent tested at or above that level for math."
Sudie L. Williams also ranked No. 5 in the statewide rankings for the best middle schools for 2025.
Rounding out the top 10 best Texas elementary schools is Carroll ISD's Robert H. Rockenbaugh Elementary in Southlake. Ranking No. 9, this elementary school has 531 students, 92 percent of which are proficient in both math and reading. U.S. Newssays the school's student-teacher ratio is 12:1, which is better than the district-wide student-teacher ratio. Robert H. Rockenbaugh employs 42 full-time teachers and one full-time counselor.
Six additional Dallas-Fort Worth schools ranked among the top 25 best elementary schools in Texas, including:
- No. 11 – Lakewood Elementary, Dallas ISD
- No. 12 – Overton Park Elementary, Fort Worth ISD
- No. 14 – Old Union Elementary, Southlake, Carroll ISD
- No. 17 – School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove, Dallas ISD
- No. 21 – Carroll Elementary, Southlake, Carroll ISD
- No. 24 – Bradfield Elementary, Dallas, Highland Park ISD
The best middle schools in Texas
Though the Austin campus of BASIS Texas Charter School was crowned the No. 1 middle school in Texas for 2025, five Dallas-Fort Worth middle schools dominated the top 10.
Following Dallas' William B. Travis Academy, Lawler Middle School in Frisco ISD ranked No. 3 statewide with 1,026 students, 61 full-time teachers, and two full-time school counselors. Lawler's student-teacher ratio is 17:1, and 93 percent of students are proficient in math, and 92 percent in reading. The school performed significantly better than the rest of Frisco ISD, U.S. News said.
"In Frisco Independent School District, 75 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 65 percent tested at or above that level for math,"
U.S. News said in Lawler's
profile. "Lawler Middle [also] did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state. In Texas, 51 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 41 percent tested at or above that level for math."
Other Dallas-Fort Worth middle schools that were ranked among the 25 best in Texas are:
- No. 4 – School for the Talented & Gifted in Pleasant Grove, Dallas ISD
- No. 6 – George Dawson Middle School, Southlake, Carroll ISD
- No. 7 – Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Lovejoy ISD
- No. 12 – Carroll Middle School, Southlake, Carroll ISD
- No. 13 – iUniversity Prep, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
- No. 14 – Fowler Middle School, Plano, Frisco ISD
- No. 16 – Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy, Dallas ISD
- No. 20 – Nelson Middle School, Frisco ISD
"The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer parents a way to evaluate how schools are providing a high-quality education and preparing students for future success," said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., the managing editor for Education at U.S. News. "The data empowers families and communities to advocate for their children’s education. Research continues to indicate that how students perform academically at these early grade levels is a big factor in their success in high school and beyond."
