High ranking

San Antonio gets surprising score in study of best cities for veterans

United States Military Veterans Parade Association, 2023 San Antonio Veterans Day Parade

Happy Veterans Day, San Antonio.

United States Military Veterans Parade Association/Facebook

A new analysis by personal finance website WalletHub has declared Military City itself, San Antonio, as the 28th best American city for veterans in 2024.

The report, "Best & Worst Places for Veterans to Live (2024)," ranked 100 of the most populous U.S. cities based on 19 factors, such as veteran unemployment rates, veteran income growth, each city's housing affordability, quality of life, and more.

The top five best cities for veterans to live in 2024 are Austin, Texas (No. 1), Orlando, Florida (No. 2), Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 3), Tampa, Florida (No. 4), and Virginia Beach, Virginia (No. 5).

San Antonio's veteran-friendliness, economy, and quality of life led to a score of 58.11 points out of a possible 100. The top third of the list is nothing to scoff at, but for a city with such a strong connection to the military, it is at least a bit surprising.

Out of all four major categories in the report — employment, economy, quality of life, and health — San Antonio ranked the highest for its economy (No. 19). The city earned a respectable ranking of No. 30 for the national "quality of life" category, but fell behind in the "health" (No. 48) and "employment" (No. 72) categories.

One of the most important factors that veterans often consider before settling down in a new city is whether there's a large veteran community, according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

"When veterans return home from serving our nation, it’s important for them to live in a place that provides good education and employment opportunities, along with access to quality care for their physical and mental health," said Lupo. "The best cities for veterans have all these characteristics, plus added bonuses like large veteran populations for community support, plus many restaurants and entertainment venues that offer veteran discounts."

Austin is the best city in the U.S. for veterans to live
Austin is no stranger to the WalletHub list, having ranked near the top for several years previously. WalletHub's experts said the Texas Capital claimed the overall No. 1 spot because of its high-quality universities and income potential for veterans. The city has the ninth-highest median annual veteran income (amounting to more than $59,000), and the fourth-best job growth rate nationwide.

"It’s also good for veterans to live in a place where they can form a community of support with others who have gone through similar experiences," the report's author wrote. "Austin has the second-largest projected increase in veterans between 2023 and 2050, so that will certainly help veterans meet each other and forge friendships."

The report also mentioned that Austin boasts the 11th highest number of restaurants and attractions per capita that specifically offer military discounts, making the city a remarkable place "for going out to eat or enjoying entertainment as a veteran."

Elsewhere in Texas
Austin was the only Texas city to make it into the top 10, with Laredo coming close by ranking 12th out of all 100 cities analyzed. Meanwhile, San Antonio was sandwiched between the North Texas cities of Dallas (No. 25) and Garland (No. 33).

Other Texas cities that earned spots in the top 50 include:

No. 20 – Fort Worth
No. 22 – Plano
No. 34 – Irving
No. 38 – Arlington
No. 39 – Lubbock
No. 50 – Corpus Christi

Even though a majority of Texas cities in the report landed among the top 50 best places for veterans to live, WalletHub placed Texas 28th in its 2024 study that ranked the "Best & Worst States for Military Retirees".

Nationally, Florida had the highest concentration of cities that were deemed the best places for veterans to live in 2024, with St. Petersburg (No. 9) and Jacksonville (No. 10) rounding out the top 10.

At the opposite end of the study, Newark, New Jersey (No. 100) was declared the worst city for veterans to live. Newark is joined by Detroit, Michigan (No. 99), Memphis, Tennessee (No. 98), Baton Rouge, Louisiana (No. 97), and Indianapolis, Indiana (No. 96) in the bottom five.

The top 10 best cities for veterans to live are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 4 – Tampa, Florida
No. 5 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
No. 6 – Irvine, California
No. 7 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 8 – Madison, Wisconsin
No. 9 – St. Petersburg, Florida
No. 10 – Jacksonville, Florida

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

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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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