News Summary
The Houston area boasts nearly half of Texas’s top public high schools, according to Niche’s latest rankings. Carnegie Vanguard High School was highlighted as the No. 4 institution in the state for gifted students. HISD’s Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and DeBakey High School for Health Professions also made the top 20. Seven Lakes High School from Katy ISD achieved 9th place, showcasing the strong educational performance of schools in the Houston region. The rankings emphasized a diverse range of educational opportunities available to students.
Houston
Nearly half of the top public high schools in Texas are located in the Houston area, according to the newly released 2026 school rankings from Niche. Carnegie Vanguard High School has emerged as a standout institution, being recognized as the No. 4 high school in Texas. This school is unique as it serves as Houston Independent School District’s (HISD) sole campus dedicated exclusively to gifted-and-talented students.
In addition to Carnegie Vanguard, two other HISD schools also ranked among the top high schools in the state. Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and DeBakey High School for Health Professions rounded out the list of HISD’s elite, all three schools making it into the top 20 public high schools in Texas.
Carnegie Vanguard and DeBakey not only achieved high rankings within Texas but also earned places on the U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top 100 public high schools in the nation. Meanwhile, Seven Lakes High School from Katy Independent School District (ISD) achieved the ninth spot on the Texas rankings, further underscoring the strong performance of schools in the Houston metropolitan area.
Other Texas high schools that made it into the top 20 rankings include Obra D. Tompkins High School and Clements High School from Katy and Fort Bend ISD respectively, as well as Kerr High School and Alief Early College High School from Alief ISD. The assessment highlighted over 15 additional schools from the Houston area that also made the comprehensive rankings list, reflecting the region’s prominence in educational excellence.
Along with Seven Lakes High School, three high schools from Cy-Fair ISD—Cypress Woods, Cypress Ranch, and Bridgeland—also made it into the rankings. Katy ISD was notably represented with Cinco Ranch and James E. Taylor high schools appearing among the top-ranked institutions. This diversity among top-ranking schools illustrates the broad spectrum of educational opportunities available in the Houston area.
Niche, the organization responsible for these rankings, has been publishing its Best Schools lists for over a decade. The evaluation methodology utilizes a combination of school statistics and qualitative reviews from students and parents. In a shift from previous years, SAT and ACT scores were excluded from this year’s rankings, reflecting a growing trend to de-emphasize standardized testing in college admissions processes.
While Carnegie Vanguard High School ranked 42nd nationally in U.S. News’ annual rankings for high schools, it unfortunately saw a decline from its previous year’s ranking of 31st. However, it is worth noting that additional charter schools also made the national top 100 list, including Harmony School of Innovation in Katy at 56th and Westchester Academy for International Studies in Spring Branch ISD at 94th.
Moreover, Seven Lakes and Tompkins high schools are acknowledged among the best STEM schools in the nation, emphasizing their exceptional programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The criteria used by U.S. News to evaluate high schools include essential factors like college readiness, the breadth of the curriculum, assessment proficiency and performance, the performance of underserved students, and graduation rates.
Overall, the rankings reveal a robust landscape of educational opportunities in the Houston area, with a commendable showing of public high schools leading the charge in Texas and on a national scale.
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Additional Resources
- Houston Chronicle: HISD Schools Rankings
- Wikipedia: Houston
- CultureMap: Best High Schools
- Google Search: Texas high school education
- NBC DFW: Texas High School Football Scores
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Higher Education
- Click2Houston: State High School Football Rankings
- Google Scholar: High School Education Texas
Author: STAFF HERE HOUSTON TX WRITER
HOUSTON STAFF WRITER The HOUSTON STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HEREHouston.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Houston, Harris County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Art Car Parade, and Chevron Houston Marathon. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Greater Houston Partnership and Houston Area Urban League, plus leading businesses in energy and healthcare that power the local economy such as ExxonMobil, Schlumberger, and Houston Methodist. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREAustinTX.com, HERECollegeStation.com, HEREDallas.com, and HERESanAntonio.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Texas's dynamic landscape.
