Straight A's

Trinity University ranked best in class among all Texas colleges

Trinity University takes the top spot among Texas schools.

Trinity University is often named among the best liberal arts universities in the nation, but a new ranking puts the San Antonio school at the top the class among all Texas universities.

On July 24, College Consensus released its annual roundup of the best universities in the state, and Trinity takes the No. 1 spot, beating out Rice University and the University of Texas at Austin, among other top-tier schools.

Since its founding in 1869, the private liberal arts school has developed a reputation for its engineering and business programs, among others. In 2018, U.S. News & World Reportranked Trinity No. 1 in both its Regional Universities West and Best Value categories. Its 125-acre campus in Monte Vista is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of only three campuses in the U.S. to garner the distinction.

Rounding out the top five universities in Texas is Rice University (2), Texas Lutheran University (3), University of Texas at Austin (4), and Texas A&M University — College Station (5). Another Alamo City school, St. Mary's University, also pops up on the list of the best schools in Texas, at No. 20.

"Texas has a lot of land, a lot of people, and a lot of need for higher education opportunities to keep the state's professionals, leaders, and workers up to date and productive," explains College Consensus managing editor Carrie Sealey-Morris in a release. The release also notes that as Texas schools continue their advancements in research, learning, and social impact, the nation is increasingly looking to the Lone Star State as a model for higher education.

In order to determine the rankings, College Consensus aggregates data and scores from respected publications such as U.S. News & World Report and Forbes and combines them with rankings from student review sites. The result, says the site, is a more accurate picture of where a university stands in respect to other educational institutions.

"This ranking of the best colleges will look different from other similar rankings, simply because it’s an aggregate ranking," says the website. "Some colleges that get overlooked in other rankings get their chance to shine; some universities that hog all the glory get their proper place in the ecosystem."

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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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