Help with healthcare

New guide gives good shot at finding COVID-19 vaccination in San Antonio

This new guide helps streamline vaccine sites and eligibility information in one place.

Photo courtesy of CVS Health

Are you frustrated by the hoops you’re jumping through to get a COVID-19 vaccination? The GoodRx drug-price-comparison app has stepped in to help.

GoodRx just rolled out a guide so you can learn about the COVID-19 vaccine, track its availability, and set up a vaccination appointment in San Antonio or elsewhere in Texas.

“Vaccine information has been fragmented and availability unclear, so GoodRx has built the go-to destination for all Americans to track the vaccine rollout locally,” the company says in a statement.

GoodRx is collecting data from more than 15,000 vaccination sites and is monitoring the country’s 70,000 pharmacies as well as state-specific sites to update appointment availability. New information is added as it becomes available.

Among other things, the GoodRx guide tells you who’s eligible for vaccinations where you live, who’s next in line, and how you can make a vaccination appointment. You can even sign up to receive text messages that alert you when vaccination eligibility changes in your area.

This week in San Antonio, city and county officials announced the creation of a new service that will text users about COVID-19 vaccine availability in the area. Residents can text VACCINE to 55000 or in Spanish VACUNA to 55000 to opt in.

Throughout Texas, the recent winter storm, power outages, and water shortages hampered the ability to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. As of February 23, about 4.7 million doses of the vaccine had been administered in the state. Information about the Texas vaccination plan is available on the Department of State Health Services website.

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schools with high achievers

These 7 San Antonio K-8 schools rank among Texas' best for 2025

Basis San Antonio - Shavano Campus

Congratulations are in order for the Dragons.

Several San Antonio 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 list of 2025 Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.

One such school – Basis San Antonio - Shavano Campus – is the No. 17 best middle school in Texas for 2025.

This November, 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.

"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."

Texas' best middle schools for 2025
In all, five San Antonio middle schools achieved spots among the top 100 best Texas middle schools for 2025, according to U.S. News.

The Shavano Campus of the Basis San Antonio charter school has a total enrollment of 1,018 students, with 84 percent of the student population scoring "at or above the proficient level" in mathematics, and 90 percent scoring at that level of proficiency in reading. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 16:1, with 63 full-time teachers.

Students at this charter school performed far better with its test scores than the rest of Texas, U.S. News said.

Four additional San Antonio schools ranked among the top 100 best middle schools in Texas, including:

No. 53 – Eleanor Kolitz Hebrew Language Academy
No. 62 – Lopez Middle School, North East ISD
No. 80 – Idea Carver College Preparatory
No. 97 – Young Women's Leadership Academy, San Antonio ISD

The best elementary schools in Texas
Jesus A. Kawas Elementary school in Laredo was crowned the No. 1 elementary school in Texas for 2025, while two San Antonio schools made it into the top 100.

Basis San Antonio Primary Medical Center is the No. 75 best elementary school statewide, boasting 787 students, 48 full-time teachers, and a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. Students at this school scored 80 percent efficiency in math and 85 percent efficiency in reading.

Landing at No. 90 in Texas is San Antonio's Hardy Oak Elementary in North East ISD. Hardy Oak has a student population of 683 with 37 full-time teachers, and one full-time counselor. The school's student-teacher ratio is 18:1, and 77 percent of students are proficient in math, and 85 percent are proficient in reading.

U.S. News says student success at Hardy Oak is significantly higher than the rest of North East ISD.

"In North East Independent School District, 56 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 46 percent tested at or above that level for math," U.S. News said in Hardy Oak's profile. "Hardy Oak Elementary [also] did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state."

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