Best Schools in DFW

DFW is a great place to live, but it’s also a great place to go to school. There are several schools in the area that are considered among the best in Texas, and many of them rank as some of the best public universities in the country. If you’re looking for an affordable, high-quality education, DFW is one of the best places in Texas to do it!

You may find it hard to access the right information on the internet, so we are here to help you in the following article, providing the best and updated information on Best schools in DFW. Read on to learn more. We at collegelearners have all the information that you need about Best schools in DFW.

Best Private Schools in DFW

Carroll ISD, Highland Park ISD, Lovejoy ISD and Coppell ISD claimed for the fourth year in a row the top four positions in this 2020 best school districts in DFW analysis. Highland Park ISD and Lovejoy ISD switched places from the previous year’s ranking and Allen ISD, for the second year in a row, claimed fifth position among all 112 independent school districts included in the these DFW school districts rankings.

Carroll ISD is also again recognized as the top district in this 2020 Texas best school districts academic performance study and Lovejoy ISD, Highland Park ISD, Coppell ISD and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD also earned state top ten honors. A total of thirteen DFW area school districts rank among the 25 top performing school districts in Texas.

2020 best DFW school districts

The data in this rankings table can be sorted by clicking on the table headings. You also can limit the display of information by typing the name of a school district in the Search box and can change the number of rows displayed by resetting default number in the Show entries box.

						% students met criteria
rank	district	academic performance score	academic performance index	accountability rating	STAAR scaled score	AP / IB	SAT	ACT	metro area
1	Carroll ISD	10	96.4	A	96	56.8%	68.2%	71.4%	Colleyville, Grapevine, Southlake, Westlake
2	Highland Park ISD (University Park, TX)	10	94.5	A	94	65.6%	54.3%	71.2%	Dallas, Highland Park, University Park
3	Lovejoy ISD	10	94.1	A	95	62.6%	65.3%	55.8%	Fairview, Lucas, Allen, McKinney, Wylie
4	Coppell ISD	10	93.1	A	94	57.2%	65.6%	67.6%	Coppell, Irving
5	Allen ISD	10	81.7	A	93	45.0%	57.5%	32.1%	Allen, Lucas, McKinney, Parker
6	Grapevine-Colleyville ISD	10	81.0	A	91	48.3%	58.9%	36.2%	Colleyville, Euless, Grapevine, Hurst
7	Plano ISD	10	80.5	A	91	46.7%	59.9%	35.1%	Allen, Dallas, Lucas, Murphy, Parker, Plano, Richardson, Wylie
8	Frisco ISD	10	79.1	A	93	39.7%	49.3%	33.0%	Frisco, Little Elm, McKinney, Plano
9	Aledo ISD	10	76.4	A	92	28.0%	60.7%	35.5%	Aledo, Annetta, Cresson, Fort Worth, Hudson Oaks, Weatherford, Willow Park
10	Prosper ISD	10	76.2	A	92	33.9%	45.2%	37.9%	Celina, Frisco, McKinney, Prosper
11	Rockwall ISD	10	75.3	A	91	38.5%	54.3%	22.0%	Fate, Forney, Heath, McLendon Chisholm, Rockwall, Rowlett, Royse City, Wylie
12	McKinney ISD	10	75.0	B	90	40.5%	50.7%	27.8%	Fairview, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, McKinney, New Hope
13	Keller ISD	10	73.9	B	91	34.1%	50.3%	25.7%	Colleyville, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Hurst, Keller, North Richland Hills, Southlake, Watauga, Westlake
14	Argyle ISD	10	72.7	A	92	14.3%	56.6%	41.8%	Argyle, Bartonville, Denton, Flower Mound
15	Northwest ISD	10	72.3	A	90	34.2%	54.3%	18.7%	Aurora, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Haslet, Justin, New Fairview, Newark, Northlake, Rhome, Roanoke, Southlake, Trophy Club
16	Lewisville ISD	10	70.3	B	88	32.5%	53.2%	26.7%	Carrollton, Coppell, Copper Canyon, Double Oak, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Frisco, Lewisville, Little Elm, Plano, The Colony
17	Wylie ISD (Wylie, TX)	10	68.5	A	92	22.1%	39.1%	15.8%	Lavon, Murphy, Sachse, St. Paul, Wylie
18	Celina ISD	10	68.2	A	91	27.6%	13.5%	36.8%	Celina, McKinney, Weston
19	Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD	10	68.0	A	90	30.5%	38.3%	13.3%	Arlington, Bedford, Colleyville, Euless, Fort Worth, Hurst, North Richland Hills
20	Sunnyvale ISD	10	67.7	A	92	0.8%	64.8%	26.8%	Sunnyvale
21	Mansfield ISD	10	66.5	A	90	22.4%	44.2%	13.5%	Arlington, Burleson, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Mansfield
22	Richardson ISD	10	63.9	B	85	30.7%	36.8%	28.6%	Dallas, Garland, Richardson
23	Melissa ISD	10	61.8	A	92	2.6%	31.6%	17.1%	McKinney, Melissa
24	Midlothian ISD	10	61.8	B	87	18.9%	36.4%	21.5%	Cedar Hill, Midlothian, Ovilla, Waxahachie
25	Brock ISD	10	61.0	A	91	1.0%	36.8%	18.4%	Brock, Lipan, Millsap, Weatherford

In order to compare the academic performance of the districts in precise and meaningful way, an academic performance index for all Texas independent school districts was constructed based on their STAAR assessment results and multiple college readiness measurements, as described in the Methodology discussion provided below. Based on its relative position in the overall academic performance index, each district also has been assigned an academic performance score with the top 10 percent of Texas school districts receiving an academic performance score of 10, districts in the next lower, ninth decile districts received a score of 9, and so on.

The Texas Education Agency 2019 Accountability Manual describes the methodology used by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to award district and campus accountability ratings and explains specifically how the four metrics used in this study to rank the academic performance of Texas school districts are derived. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) metric is the cumulative scaled score of all STAAR assessments administered to district students during the 2018-2019 school year. The Advance Placement / International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) and the SAT and ACT college admission tests metrics are the number of students meeting college-ready criteria specified in the Texas Success Initiative (TSI), a state-legislated program to improve student success in college.

Accountability ratings awarded by the TEA were not considered in this analysis since these ratings also take into account multiple factors that generally have no meaningful linkage to the learning success or academic performance of individual students, such as graduation rates, students enlisting in the military and changes in student performance on the STAAR evaluations from one year to the next. TEA accountability ratings also provide only minimal information regarding how the academic performance of one district’s students compares to students’ performance in other districts. This is pretty clearly demonstrated by 25.2 percent of 1,120 Texas independent school districts rated in 2019 by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) being awarded an accountability rating of A. Another 61.0 percent Texas school districts attained B ratings, 11.2 percent received C ratings, 2.1 percent received D ratings, and 0.6 percent of Texas districts received F ratings. Also not considered in this study are subjective factors such as opinions of self-selected contributors of anonymous parent and student reviews and “expert insights” regarding teacher quality.

Similar objective, fact-based analyses that rank more than 1,700 Dallas area public high schools, middle schools and elementary schools operated by the districts included in this analysis and compare campus student achievement indexes, STAAR results and TEA accountability ratings are available on these best DFW high schools, best DFW middle schools and best DFW elementary schools pages. Lists of the top ranked high schools, middle schools and elementary schools are shown on this best Dallas schools page. If you are just beginning your DFW area home search and considering where you want to buy a home, you may find the information on this more about DFW school districts page to also be useful.

Housing and community desirability data for many of the cities and towns served by the north Texas school districts listed above is available on this best Dallas suburbs page. This about Dallas suburbs page makes available information such as population growth and density and current residents education and income.

Methodology

Within each evaluation category, the top ranked Texas school district was awarded the maximum points allocated to that category and all other districts were awarded a proportional number of points based on how their individual scores compared to the score of the top ranked district. Scores from both evaluation categories were then added together to arrive at the district’s academic performance index.

Performance on STAAR tests: 60 points

A maximum of 60 points was awarded based on the percentage of a district’s students meeting the TSI achievement standards on the STAAR reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies subject assessments. As is explained in the Texas Education Agency Accountability Manual, the STAAR score shown in the table above is calculated by first adding equal weightings of the percentage of assessments on which students’ performance mastered grade level, met grade level and approached grade level, dividing the sum by 3 and rounding it to the nearest whole percentage. The TEA refers to this as the raw STAAR component score. This raw score is then adjusted or “scaled” by using a conversion table to align letter grades and raw component scores of Texas public school districts and campuses. Because the precision of the scaled STAAR score is significantly diminished but otherwise unchanged for comparison purposes by this process, the unrounded raw STAAR component score is used in this analysis to measure relative performance on the STAAR tests.

College readiness indicators: 40 points

A maximum of 20 points was awarded based on percentage of students in grades 11-12 participating and successfully completing Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. The district with the highest scores on the College Board AP examinations or International Baccalaureate Foundation examinations in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies was awarded a maximum of 20 points. A maximum of 20 points also was awarded to the district with the top SAT and ACT scores. The college readiness index for each district was calculated by aggregating the scores for all high schools in the district, weighted by the number of students attending each school. A complete description of the college readiness evaluation methodology used in both this and the Dallas area high schools ranking studies, along with the AP, IB, SAT and ACT data used in these analyses, is provided on this DFW high schools page.

Best school districts in North Texas

Are you planning to relocate to Dallas? Are you worried about the good schools in North Texas where you want your child to study? Do not worry. We are here! We have got your back!

There are many things to consider before moving, for instance, the cost of living, the average home price etc. The major factor that is considered is ‘education’. As parents, we always want the best for our kids and in this article, we are going to list down the top 10 best school districts, based on the rankings by Texas Education Agency (TEA), that you can check out in North Texas. Here they are:

10. Prosper Independent School District

Prosper Independent School District operates 7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 1 high school. These eight schools are attended by approximately 12,100 students who live in Prosper, Frisco, McKinney, Allen and Salina. A smaller district as compared to others, Prosper ISD is ranked as an A+ district with a teacher-student ratio of 15 to 1 and student testing proficiency of 93 % in math and 90% in reading. The mission of this district is to develop and graduate motivated and academically prepared individuals with the strength of character to make contributions to a rapidly changing society.

9. Aledo Independent School District

Aledo Independent School District operates 5 elementary schools, 1 intermediate school, 1 middle school and 2 high schools. These nine schools are attended by approximately 5700 students who reside in Aledo, Annetta, Christen, Fort Worth, Hudson Oaks, Wallingford and Willow Park. Aledo Independent School District offers a wide range of student programs that range from career and technical education, award winning UIL ban, robotics club and the collar scholarship program. Other student organizations include National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Future Farmers of America and the Junior World Affairs Council.

8. Frisco Independent School District

Frisco Independent School District operates 40 elementary schools, 16 middle schools and 9 high schools. These 65 schools are attended by about 58,300 students who live in Frisco, McKinney and Plano. According to niche.com, Frisco Independent School District is ranked as an A+ overall district with grade A markings in all categories including academics, teachers, clubs and activities, administration, food, diversity, college prep, health and safety resources and facilities and sports too. Frisco Independent School District has a teacher-student ratio of 13 to 1 and the student proficiency testing of 93% in math and 91% in reading.

7. Plano Independent School District

Plano Independent School District operates 44 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, 10 high schools. These 67 schools are attended by approximately 53,700 students who live in Plano, Frisco, Dallas, Murphy, Parker and Richardson. This independence school district is recognized as one of the top schools in Texas with a teacher-student ratio of 14 to 1. Student test and proficiency is 86% in math and 83% in reading. A district devoted is to music and arts. Plano Independent School District has several different programs that a student can enroll in and enjoy as they progress from grade to grade such as the band and orchestra.

6. Grapevine Colleyville Independent School District

Grapevine Colleyville Independent School District currently operates 11 elementary schools, 4 middle schools and 3 high schools. These 19 schools are attended by approximately 13,900 students who live in Colleyville, Grapevine, Ulis and Hurst. Rated as an A+ district with a teacher-student ratio of 15 to 1, Grapevine Colleyville Independent School District’s students enjoy an environment that encourages creativity, perseverance, citizenship and patriotism in collaborative workspaces that allow them to work together in specific and unique ways. Regarding travel times, Grapevine Colleyville ISD is about 30 minutes away from downtown Dallas during normal traffic conditions.

5. Allen Independent School District

Allen Independent School District operates 18 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 1 freshmen center and 1 high school. These 23 schools are attended by approximately 21,100 students who live in Allen, McKinney, Lucas and Parker. Allen Texas is a rapidly growing city and this district is huge and still maintains a 16 to 1 teacher-student ratio as well as 90% student proficiency in math and 91% in reading. In a district, transportation is a critical factor in daily operations. The Transportation Department is home to 140 buses that run 103 daily routes that drive an average of 939,905 miles a year for over 7,000 daily rides.

4. Coppell Independent School District

Coppell Independent School District operates 10 elementary schools, 3 middle schools and 2 high schools. These 15 schools are attended by approximately 12,600 students who live in Coppell, Irvin and Louisville. A top school district in the state of Texas with an A+ district as well as a 17 to 1 teacher-student ratio, Coppell Independent School District’s students are at least 94% above average in math and 91% in reading with a total staff of 1216. 6% of them are new teachers, 29% are among one to five years of teaching, 21% are among six to ten years of teaching, 29% are among 11 to 20 years of teaching and 13% have been teaching for 20 years or more. So you can be sure that your child is in very capable hands in this district.

3. Lovejoy Independent School District

Lovejoy Independent School District operates 3 elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school and a high school. These schools are attended by approximately 4,200 students who live in Fairview, Lukas, Allen, McKinney and Wiley. Lovejoy has a district-wide A+ rating with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. According to state test scores, 97% of students are at least above average in math and 96% in reading. Lovejoy is a 5/8 district in athletics, fine arts and academic competitions and

It graduated its first senior class in 2010.

2. The Highland Park Independent School District

The Highland Park ISD operates 4 elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school and a high school. These seven schools are attended by approximately 7,000 students who live in Highland Park, University Park and Dallas. Established in 1914, Highland Park Independent School District has an A+ district grade as well as a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1. To give you an idea of how prolific this district is, its alumni include a Nobel Prize winner, a Tony and a Grammy Award winner, Olympic gold medalist, a Heisman Trophy winner as well as two valedictorians of West Point and the Naval Academy who graduated in the same year.

1. Carroll Independent School District

Carroll Independent School District operates 5 elementary schools, 2 intermediate schools, 2 middle schools and 2 high schools. These 11 schools are attended by approximately 8300 students who reside in South Lake, Colleyville, Grapevine, Keller and West Lake. A very well-respected district that has an overall A+ rating and having a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1, Carroll Independent School District has a zero-percent dropout rate as well as a 97% attendance rate and 5 of the district schools have been named Blue Ribbon Schools by the US Department of Education.