Head of the Class

Dallas high school ranks among 10 best in nation — and No. 1 in Texas

These Texas high schools get an A-plus.

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Dallas' School for the Talented and Gifted is no stranger to accolades, and now it can add one more to its trophy shelf. U.S. News & World Report recently named it not only the No. 1 high school in Texas, but the fourth-best in the nation.

And with four more Texas schools joining it at the top, it's in good company. The School of Science and Engineering in Dallas places third in Texas and No. 9 in the country, while Houston's Carnegie Vanguard High School (No. 2 in Texas, No. 8 in the U.S.) and DeBakey High School for Health Professions (fourth in Texas and No. 18 nationally) also earn high marks. Austin's Liberal Arts and Science Academy squeezes into the national list at No. 28, and gets a solid fifth in the Lone Star State.

All told, 589 Texas schools are in the 2017 list, which ranked 2,609 schools total.

Four factors went into the news site's rankings. The first is that the students must perform better on proficiency tests than expected in their state, and the second is that disadvantaged students (black, Hispanic, and low-income, according to the study) also exceed their state's averages in math and reading proficiency.

Then the graduation rates must have met or exceeded national standards, with schools possessing a rate of lower than 75 percent being excluded. That's actually a higher threshold than federal law requires — 67 percent — for a school to receive extra resources from its state.

The last step calculated the College Readiness index, which is based on a school's AP participation rate and how well its students did on those tests. If one or more schools received the same CRI score, unspecified tiebreakers were used to determine rankings.

If you're really after the best education in America, then it seems you should move to Arizona. The Grand Canyon State swept the top 10 with five of the highest rankings, including overall No. 1 high school, BASIS Scottsdale.

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high income households

Surprising Dallas suburb emerges as a new magnet for the wealthy

Photo courtesy of Visit Mesquite

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A new income study has revealed Dallas' wealthiest aren't settling down in Lewisville anymore — they've set their sights on Mesquite, instead.

Mesquite had one of the highest growth rates of new wealthy residents nationwide in SmartAsset's new analysis, "Cities Adding the Most High-Income Households – 2026 Study."

Based on U.S. Census income data, SmartAsset's experts ranked 357 U.S. cities with at least 100,000 residents based on the growth in high-income households as a percentage of total households between 2023 and 2024. The report defines high-income households as those earning an income of at least $200,000.

Mesquite had the seventh-highest growth in wealthy households in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 31 nationwide.

The report's findings show Mesquite had 2,186 high-income households in 2023. By the following year, the suburb had a 52.3 percent growth rate in wealthy earners, bringing the total number of high-income households to 3,717.

A total 6.7 percent of all Mesquite households made at least $200,000 in income in 2024. For added context, the median income for a Mesquite household during that same year was $66,083.

The rise in wealthy newcomers might not be as much of a surprise to locals: There's currently a 1,400-acre master-planned community being developed to accommodate the city's growth, and discount chain BJ's Wholesale Club is expected to debut a Mesquite warehouse in early 2026.

According to the report, an influx of affluent households can have a significant impact on a city's local economy, most commonly through contributing "more dollars to the local and state tax bases, and to surrounding businesses."

"At the same time, this relative economic strength may sway entities to cater more to the preferences of these households to earn their patronage," the report said. "Quick growth in high income households may accelerate tax collection and business prosperity, just as their departure may cause some concern for local politicians, business owners, and neighbors."

In SmartAsset's 2025 report, Lewisville was the top Dallas-Fort Worth city that added the most wealthy new residents, but that figure has since plummeted. Lewisville ranked No. 312 in this year's rankings with a surprising 7.5 percent decline in high-income households from 2023-2024.

Texas cities with the biggest growth in high-income households
The East Texas city of Beaumont, located about 90 miles from Houston, had the biggest growth rate of high-earners in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 6 nationally.

Three more Dallas-Fort Worth cities ranked in the top 100: Arlington (No. 56), McKinney (No. 69), and Irving (No. 90). Arlington had a 33.3 percent growth rate in high earners from 2023-2024, and now boasts 13,444 wealthy households. McKinney had 23,740 high-income households in 2024, an increase of 29.8 percent from the year before. Irving's wealthy population grew 24.1 percent, and claims 11,404 high income households.

Other Texas cities that ranked among the national top 100 include:

No. 8 – Odessa
No. 14 – Laredo
No. 18 – College Station
No. 20 – Conroe
No. 28 – Waco
No. 59 – Amarillo
No. 66 – Atascocita
No. 72 – McAllen
No. 77 – League City
No. 94 – Brownsville

houston suburbs conroe smartasset wealthy suburbs affluent households