Added convenience

Buc-ee’s rival pumping more convenience stores into San Antonio region

QuikTrip is driving hard into San Antonio.

QuikTrip, a convenience store chain that enjoys cult-like adoration in the league of Buc-ee’s, is quickly pumping up its presence in the San Antonio area. In 2017, QuikTrip unveiled a plan to blitz the San Antonio and Austin areas with a total of more than 100 stores. Today, nearly 70 of those stores are in the works.

Tulsa, Oklahoma-based QuikTrip already operates six stores in San Antonio and two in the Austin area, company spokesman Mike Thornbrugh says. The chain’s new location at 8850 Culebra Rd. became QuikTrip’s 800th store nationwide.

Currently, QuikTrip has 68 stores either open, under construction, or in the permitting process across the San Antonio-Austin region, according to Thornbrugh. In addition to the eight stores currently operating, another five are under construction in each market and another 50 stores are in the permitting process.

He says QuikTrip still is targeting at least 100 stores in total for San Antonio-Austin.

QuikTrip made its San Antonio-area debut at 7501 N. Loop 1604 East in Live Oak last October and has more outposts planned for Leon Valley, Live Oak, Kirby, and Windcrest.

In the Austin area, the stores open now are at 1911 N. Bell Blvd. in Cedar Park and 901 Louis Henna Blvd. in Round Rock. Those two locations opened earlier this year. Austin, Georgetown, and Liberty Hill are also in line to get QuikTrip stores, and more locations are on the way for Cedar Park and Round Rock.

Foodie website Delish ranks QuikTrip as the best convenience store operator in Kansas and Oklahoma, whereas Buc-ee’s gets the nod in Texas. While QuikTrip is new to the San Antonio and Austin markets, it already has a strong foothold in the Lone Star State, primarily in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For the most part, online reviewers around Texas heap huge praise on QuikTrip.

“We have perfected the secret sauce of hiring the best people and providing the best possible experience for our customers,” Steve Wilson, QuikTrip’s marketing director, says in a release. “Our employees make us QuikTrip. They live our brand each and every day, and their friendly relationship with our customers is genuine and special.”

Aside from earning kudos for its friendly employees, QuikTrip draws rave reviews for its menu of food. In-store QT Kitchens serve fresh, made-to-order food, such as pizza, premium specialty drinks, and frozen treats.

“We’ve heard from a number of enthusiastic QT fans in San Antonio and Austin familiar with us from their travels, urging us to expand there,” Chet Cadieux, QuikTrip’s chairman and CEO, said in a 2017 release. “Both San Antonio and Austin are really hot markets right now, and we cannot wait to join the exciting landscape in those two great communities. If you aren’t familiar with us yet, you are in for a real treat!”

Annual revenue at QuikTrip exceeds $11 billion, making it one of the country’s largest privately owned companies. It sits among the top 20 convenience store chains in the U.S. based on store count.

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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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