(NEXSTAR) – After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional learning and left schools scrambling for instructors and bus drivers – all while juggling lesson plans and health protocols – one company has sorted through the data to determine the top high schools in Texas for 2023.
On Tuesday, Niche, a site that combines ratings from students, parents and alumni with quantitative data, released its rankings for both public and private high schools.
The top public school in the state for yet another year, according to Niche, is the School for the Talented & Gifted in Dallas. Here are the top 10 schools for 2023:
| 2023 Ranking | School | Metro Area | 2022 Ranking |
| 1 | School for the Talented & Gifted | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | 1 |
| 2 | Liberal Arts & Science Academy | Austin Area | 2 |
| 3 | School of Science & Engineering | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | 3 |
| 4 | Carnegie Vanguard High School | Houston Area | 5 |
| 5 | Debakey H.S. for Health Prof | Houston Area | 6 |
| 6 | Westlake High School | Austin Area | 4 |
| 7 | Carroll Senior High School | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | 7 |
| 8 | Westwood High IB World School | Austin Area | 8 |
| 9 | Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts | Houston Area | 9 |
| 10 | Seven Lakes High School | Houston Area | 13 |
As for private high schools in Texas, St. Mark’s School, also in Dallas, took the top rank for a second straight year. Here are the rest of the top 10, according to Niche:
| 2023 Ranking | School | Metro Area | 2022 Ranking |
| 1 | St. Mark’s School of Texas | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | 1 |
| 2 | The Awty International School | Houston Area | 7 |
| 3 | Greenhill School | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | 3 |
| 4 | St. Stephen’s Episcopal School | Austin Area | 5 |
| 5 | The Hockaday School | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | 4 |
| 6 | The John Cooper School | Houston Area | 6 |
| 7 | The Village School | Houston Area | 12 |
| 8 | Cistercian Preparatory School | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | 9 |
| 9 | Keystone School | San Antonio Area | 8 |
| 10 | The Kinkaid School | Houston Area | 10 |
In August, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released its accountability ratings for districts and campuses for the first time since 2019 after COVID-19 disrupted the annual review.
The TEA declared that the ratings, which are largely based on the results of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, showed “promising signs of progress in Texas’s efforts to catch students up academically.”
“These results show our state’s significant investment in the post-pandemic academic recovery of Texas public school students is bearing fruit,” said Texas Education Commissioner, Mike Morath. “I’m grateful for the driving force behind this year’s success: our teachers and local school leaders.” In 2022, 25% of districts and 33% of campuses saw their letter grade improve, according to the TEA.
See Niche’s website for the complete list of schools and more information about the methodology.
