top tier education

3 Dallas high schools rank among America's best in 2024, says U.S. News

Dallas is home to three of the highest-ranked schools in the country.

Three Dallas high schools are dominating U.S. News and World Report's prestigious annual list of the country's best public high schools. One has maintained its standing as the best in Texas.

The 2024 rankings from U.S. News, released April 23, put Dallas ISD’s School for the Talented and Gifted at No. 6 nationally among the country’s best high schools, for the second year in a row. The school also ranks No. 21 nationally among the best STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) high schools (down from No. 8 in 2023) and No. 3 among the best magnet high schools (down from No. 2 in 2023).

Meanwhile, Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School ranks No. 23 nationally among the best high schools (down from No. 18 last year) and No. 10 nationally among the best magnet high schools (down from No. 8 in 2023).

Science and Engineering Magnet School comes in No. 29 nationally among the best high schools (down from No. 23 last year and No. 22 in 2022), No. 37 nationally among the best STEM high schools (down from No. 24 last year and No. 7 in 2022), and No. 11 nationally among the best magnet high schools (down from No. 2 in 2023 and No. 10 in 2022).

Topping the national list for 2024 is the BASIS Peoria Charter School in Peoria, Arizona.

Each year, U.S. News evaluates about 18,000 high schools on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rates.

“The 2024 Best High Schools rankings offer a starting point for parents to understand a school’s academic performance, whether it’s a prospective school or one that their child is already attending,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., the managing editor of education at U.S. News, in a release. “Accessible data on our high schools can empower families across the country as they navigate today’s educational environment and plan for the future.”

Elsewhere in Texas
Around the state, these Texas high schools also made it into the top 100 nationally (including two more North Texas schools):

Grand Prairie ISD's Collegiate Institute, No. 30 (up from No. 188 last year). No. 6 nationally among best charter high schools.
Houston ISD’s Carnegie Vanguard High School, No. 31 (up from No. 35 last year and No. 40 in 2022). No. 12 nationally among the best magnet high schools and No. 228 among best STEM high schools.
Austin ISD’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy, No. 38 (down from No. 32 last year and No. 34 in 2022). No. 34 nationally among the best STEM high schools.
BASIS San Antonio - Shavano Campus, No. 64 (up from No. 81 last year and No. 77 in 2022). No. 76 nationally among the best STEM high schools and No. 13 nationally among the best charter high schools.
Houston ISD’s DeBakey High School for Health Professions, No. 70 (down from No. 66 last year and No. 50 in 2022). No. 19 nationally among the best magnet high schools and No. 426 among best STEM high schools.
Brownsville ISD's Early College High School, No. 71 (up from No. 229 last year).
Dallas ISD’s Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet, No. 85 (up from No. 93 last year and No. 48 in 2022) . No. 21 nationally among the best magnet high schools.

When broken down just to Texas schools, Dallas' School for the Talented and Gifted, Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School, and Science and Engineering Magnet School are the top-rated public high schools in Texas this year, U.S. News says. Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute follows right behind as the No. 4 best high school in Texas.

Other Dallas-Fort Worth schools that rank among Texas' 100 best are:

No. 17 – Westlake Academy, Westlake
No. 18 – Imagine International Academy of North Texas, McKinney
No. 21 – Trinidad Garza Early College at Mt. View, Dallas ISD
No. 27 – School of Health Professions, Dallas ISD
No. 28 – World Languages Institute, Fort Worth
No. 30 – Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, Grand Prairie ISD
No. 31 – Uplift Education-North Hills Prep High School, Uplift Education School District, Irving
No. 36 – School of Business and Management, Dallas ISD
No. 39 – Young Women's Leadership Academy, Fort Worth ISD
No. 43 – Booker T. Washington SPVA, Dallas ISD
No. 46 – Highland Park High School, Highland Park ISD
No. 49 – Independence High School, Frisco ISD
No. 51 – Rosie Sorrells Education and Social Services High School, Dallas ISD
No. 55 – Lovejoy High School, Lovejoy ISD, Lucas
No. 56 – Liberty High School, Frisco ISD
No. 57 – Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, Dallas ISD
No. 58 – Reedy High School, Frisco ISD
No. 60 – Cedar Hill Collegiate High School, Cedar Hill ISD
No. 66 – Wakeland High School, Frisco ISD
No. 73 – Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School, Dallas ISD
No. 77 – Coppell High School, Coppell ISD
No. 87 – Centennial High School, Frisco ISD
No. 89 – Young Women's Leadership Academy at Arnold, Grand Prairie ISD

dallas us news & world report high schools rankings

Money Matters

This is the salary you need to live comfortably in Texas in 2026

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

undefined

A new national report looking at the income it takes to live comfortably in each of the 50 states has revealed Texans need to earn slightly less now than a year ago.

SmartAsset analyzed what a single individual, as well as family of four, must earn to cover minimum basic needs adjusted using the 50/30/20 budgeting rule. The resulting estimate represents the annual, pre-tax income needed to live comfortably in every U.S. state.

A single, full-time worker needs to make $90,563 to live comfortably in the Lone Star State, the report found, which is down a meager 0.2 percent from last year ($90,771).

Under the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy, that means a single Texas earner would have $45,282 to spend on necessities like housing and utilities, $27,169 for discretionary spending, and $18,113 for emergencies or retirement savings.

Texas ranked 34th nationally in SmartAsset's list of states with the highest income needed for a single adult to live "in sustainable comfort" in 2026. Only five other states — Tennessee, Maryland, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Mississippi — saw a decline in the income needed to live comfortably this year.

For a family of four to live comfortably in Texas, income requirements change significantly, according to the findings. To support a two-child household, a family needs $203,424 in combined total household income to be considered financially stable. This is down slightly from 2025, when SmartAsset reported a family of four in needed $204,922 to live comfortably in Texas.

This is a comfortable lifestyle for a family of four in Texas, according to the report:

$101,712 dedicated to necessities and living expenses
$61,027 dedicated to discretionary spending
$40,685 dedicated to emergencies, savings, or debt repaymen

According to the report, a family of four now needs to make at least $200,000 to live comfortably in 40 U.S. states, a figure that is far out of reach for many American families.

"As housing, grocery, transportation and other essential costs pressure household budgets, earning a six-figure salary no longer guarantees financial comfort in much of the U.S.," the report said. "A single adult now needs at least $80,000 a year to live comfortably in every state, while the threshold exceeds $100,000 in nearly half of states. For a family of four, the income needed to live comfortably is as much as $329,000."

Still, earning the minimum income to live comfortably in Texas doesn't guarantee financial stability in the Lone Star State's major cities. Earlier this year, SmartAsset determined single residents in Dallas need to make nearly $97,000 to qualify as financially stable, while families of four need about $214,500.

texas smartasset reports salaries income finance