Pumped Up

Popular convenience store chain rolls into San Antonio with mega expansion plans

QuickTrip is making a move on Austin-San Antonio.

In a Texas-themed video posted on Facebook, convenience store chain QuikTrip has revealed it's entering the Austin and San Antonio markets with a total of 100 stores.

The first QuikTrip store in each market is on track to open in the summer of 2018, according to media reports. No word yet on precisely where those stores will be.

"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, CEO of QuikTrip, says in a statement.

"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!"

One of the things that sets QuikTrip apart from other convenience store operators is QT Kitchens, which serves fresh, made-to-order food, premium drinks, and frozen treats. Items on the menu include pizza, sandwiches, specialty coffee drinks, and smoothies. QT stores also have a reputation for cleanliness and friendliness.

In a Yelp review, one QuikTrip fan gushes: "Seriously like fricking Disney Land! Puts all other gas stations to shame!!! Where to even start?! (Prepare for lots of exclamation marks!) ... Great customer service and super clean!! In love!"

Another QuikTrip admirer raves on Yelp: "I love QT!! I swear it is a destination. Anything you want to find is there."

QuikTrip, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, operates more than 770 stores in 11 states. The company has 134 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but nowhere else in Texas. In the Austin and San Antonio markets, QuikTrip will be going up against major convenience store operators like ExxonMobil, H-E-B, 7-Eleven, Shell, and Valero.

In 2016, QuikTrip ranked 33rd on Forbes' list of the largest private companies in the U.S., with revenue of $9.1 billion. This year, it ranks No. 17 on Forbes' list of the best employers in America.

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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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