UH on Most Sober List

University of Houston a no party school? UH joins BYU on Most Sober Universities list

Making the Top 20 of the Most Sober Universities in the country is sure to please school administrators and parents footing tuition bills, so kudos to the teetotaling students at the University of Houston for just saying no partying and yes to studying.

UH clocked in at number 18 on the list, compiled by the Princeton Review, joining a band of small private, religious universities for the respected, if not slightly boring honor.

UH clocked in at number 18 in the new most sober rankings, compiled by the Princeton Review, joining a band of small private, religious universities for the respected, if not slightly boring honor. The rest of the list is comprised primarily of liberal arts colleges and military academies.

Not surprisingly, Brigham Young University, a school owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was named the most “stone cold” of the bunch. BYU’s website posted a picture of BYU Creamery chocolate milk, inviting students and school supporters to toast its top no-party ranking for the 17th consecutive year.

The fact that UH is neither a private nor religious-based university, makes the ranking a bit curious. In the past, some could argue that as a commuter school, UH students were (wisely) avoiding drinking and driving, but now the school is second only to Texas A&M University in terms of on-campus housing, so students could attend a party or two and safely return to their dorm or apartment.

The University of Dallas, Irving, Texas was the only other Texas school to rank on the sober list. No other Texas universities ranked on either Top 20 Party Schools or the Top 20 Most Sober Schools.

After BYU, Wheaton College in Illinois, the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California rounded out the top five list of sober schools. Syracuse University in New York state was deemed the No. 1 party school in the nation.

The Princeton Review determined the rankings by visiting campuses across the nation, asking an average of 125 students per campus questions pertaining to partying, studying and other elements of college life. An estimated tens of thousands of college students participated in the study.

University of Houston students would rather go to class and study than party.

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schools with high achievers

These 15 Houston K-8 schools rank among Texas' best for 2025

T.H. Rogers PTO/Facebook

Congratulations are in order for the Rams.

Several Houston 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 just-released list of 2025 Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.

One such school – T.H. Rogers School in Houston ISD – is the No. 8 best middle school in Texas for 2025.

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.

Texas' best middle schools for 2025
Three Houston middle schools achieved spots among the top 10 best Texas middle schools for 2025, according to U.S. News.

T.H. Rogers School has a total enrollment of 1,063 students, with 87 percent of the student population scoring "at or above the proficient level" in mathematics, and 90 percent proficiency in reading. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 17:1, with 62 full-time teachers.

T.H. Rogers School also topped the district-wide list as the No. 1 best middle school in HISD.

Houston Gateway Academy - Coral Campus also ranked among the statewide top 10, coming in at No. 9 with a total enrollment of 914 students. U.S. News says 82 percent of HGA students are proficient in math, and 80 percent are proficient in reading.

"Houston Gateway Academy - Coral Campus did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state," U.S. News said in the school's profile. "In Texas, 51 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 41 percent tested at or above that level for math."

Right behind HGA to round out the top 10 best Texas middle schools is Houston ISD's Briarmeadow Charter School. This middle school has 600 students, 69 percent of which are proficient in math and 74 percent are proficient reading.

Briarmeadow's student-teacher ratio is 16:1, which is better than the district-wide student-teacher ratio, and it employs 38 full-time teachers.

U.S. News also ranked Briarmeadow as the second best middle school in Houston ISD.

Six additional Houston-area schools ranked among the top 25 best middle schools in Texas, including:

No. 18 – Cornerstone Academy, Spring Branch ISD
No. 19 – Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Houston ISD
No. 21 – Smith Middle School, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
No. 22 – Seven Lakes Junior High, Katy ISD
No. 23 – Houston Gateway Academy
No. 25 – Beckendorff Junior High, Katy 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 Houston-area schools made it into the top 10.

Tomball ISD's Creekside Forest Elementary in The Woodlands is the No. 7 best elementary school statewide, boasting 656 students, 42 full-time teachers, and one full-time counselor. Students at this school, which U.S. News designates is situated in a "fringe rural setting," scored 90 percent efficiency in math and 94 percent efficiency in reading.

Following one spot behind Creekside Forest in the statewide ranking is Sugar Land's Commonwealth Elementary School in Fort Bend ISD, coming in at No. 8. Commonwealth has a student population of 954 with 55 full-time teachers, and two full-time counselors. The school's student-teacher ratio is 17:1, and 90 percent of students are proficient in math, and 94 percent in reading.

U.S. News says student success at Commonwealth is significantly higher than the rest of Fort Bend ISD.

"In Fort Bend Independent School District, 59 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 47 percent tested at or above that level for math," U.S. News said in Commonwealth's profile. "Commonwealth Elementary [also] did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state."

Other Houston-area schools that were ranked among the 25 best in Texas are:

No. 13 – Bess Campbell Elementary, Sugar Land, Lamar CISD
No. 20 – West University Elementary, Houston ISD
No. 23 – T.H. Rogers School, Houston ISD
No. 25 – Griffin Elementary, Katy ISD

"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."

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