A dozen Houston-area elementary and middle schools have excelled on U.S. News and World Report's just-released list of the best K-8 schools in Texas for 2026, with one that's a top achiever: T. H. Rogers School in Houston ISD ranked as the No. 2 best middle school statewide.
T. H. Rogers School also ranked as the 13th best elementary school in Texas in a 10-spot hike from its 2025 ranking.
The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings compared over 81,000 public schools on the state and district level using publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on their students' proficiencies in mathematics and reading, and their performances on state assessments for both subjects. Tiebreakers were decided based on which school had higher overall proficiencies, and a second tiebreaker was determined for whichever school had a lower student-teacher ratio.
The No. 1 best middle school in Texas is Dallas ISD's William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted. The school also ranked as the 4th best elementary school statewide.
The best Texas elementary schools for 2026
Two Houston-area schools made it among the top 10 best Texas elementary schools for 2026. Creekside Forest Elementary in The Woodlands' Tomball ISD maintained its position as the 7th best statewide for the second year in a row. Sugar Land's Commonwealth Elementary in Fort Bend ISD ranked just one spot lower than it did in 2025 and now appears as the 9th best elementary school in Texas.
One Houston suburban school made a major leap into the statewide top 25 for 2026: Stafford STEM Magnet Academy in Stafford Municipal School District moved up 49 spots from last year to land as the 16th best Texas elementary school.
"At Stafford Stem Magnet Academy, 95 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 87 percent scored at or above that level for reading," the school's profile on U.S. News said.
Elsewhere among the top 25, Bess Campbell Elementary in Sugar Land's Lamar CISD slipped seven spots to rank as the 20th best Texas elementary school. But it did improve its status in the middle school category and ranked as the 12th best middle school statewide, after previously ranking as No. 27 last year.
The best Texas middle schools
T. H. Rogers School was the only Houston school to make it into the top 10 best middle schools in the state for 2026, but eight local schools ranked among the top 25.
The Houston-area middle schools that were ranked among the 25 best in Texas are:
- No. 11 – Briarmeadow Charter School, Houston ISD (down from No. 10 last year)
- No. 13 – Cornerstone Academy, Spring Branch ISD (up from No. 18 last year)
- No. 18 – Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Houston ISD (up from No. 19 last. year)
- No. 19 – Seven Lakes Junior High School, Katy ISD (up from No. 22 last year)
- No. 20 – Fort Settlement Middle School, Fort Bend ISD (up from No. 28 last year)
- No. 21 – Houston Getaway Academy - Coral Campus, Houston (down from No. 9 last year)
- No. 22 – Smith Middle School, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (down from No. 21 last year)
"The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all," said U.S. News managing editor for education LaMont Jones, Ed.D. in a press release. "These rankings offer communities and families valuable insights into schools dedicated to preparing students for future success."
