The annual U.S. News and World Report Best U.S. High Schools list was recently released, and some Dallas ISD schools rank rather highly, with three DISD campuses listed in the top 25.
The School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) came in at No. 9, while the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School is ranked No. 15 and the School of Science and Engineering landed at No. 23 in the overall national list. These schools also represented the highest-ranking Texas high schools to make the list, as campuses in Grand Prairie, Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Lubbock do not appear in the top 30.
According to the magazine, the rankings “include data on more than 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 18,000 schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.”
The factors taken into consideration include college readiness, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rate. Each of the DISD schools recorded a 100% graduation rate.See where the nation’s #BestHighSchools are located—spanning 26 states and D.C., with a majority concentrated in Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. Explore the full rankings: https://t.co/LMDE2GkLm1
— U.S. News Education (@USNewsEducation) August 19, 2025
“The School for the Talented and Gifted follows the state's Distinguished Achievement Program and places an emphasis on Advanced Placement curriculum — TAG offers 30 AP courses and students are required to take 12 to graduate,” reads the U.S. News overview of the No. 9 school. “Students at TAG may conduct field research via partnerships with local universities, take electives such as fashion marketing and enroll in mini-courses like ballroom dancing or glass blowing during interim terms.”
All of TAG's 546 students, according to the survey, took at least one AP exam, while the school also scored 100% marks in math proficiency, reading proficiency and science proficiency. Being this highly ranked isn’t new for the school near the Bishop Arts District, as it is regularly named among the top public high schools in the city, state and nationally not only by U.S. News, but also Texas Monthly and D Magazine, among others.
At No. 15, the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School was noted for its diverse student body. The report noted that “the total minority enrollment is 93%, and 77% of students are economically disadvantaged.” The school recorded 100% in science proficiency, 99% in reading proficiency and 93% in math proficiency.
As for the No. 23 public high school in the nation, U.S. News reports that “students at the Science and Engineering Magnet School start Advanced Placement courses their freshman year and can earn college credit via dual-enrollment opportunities with several area community colleges and universities. Located in a complex that houses five other magnet schools, SEM offers AP courses in calculus, biology and statistics, among others.”
Outside of the Top 25
Overall, DISD has begun to see some upward movement in terms of its Texas Education Agency Accountability Scores. The recently released letter scores show that the district improved to a B rating after multiple years of C scores. The B rating typically signifies that the district is at least meeting state standards and performance.Elsewhere in North Texas and further down the list, although still impressively ranked, the Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute grabbed the No. 54 spot nationally, followed at No. 84 by DISD’s Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet.
Austin’s top-ranked school was the Liberal Arts and Science Academy at No. 36, while Houston’s highest position was for the DeBakey High School for Health Professions at No. 42.
