Dallas magnet schools top Houston group's rankings
Dallas ISD's magnet campuses again dominate a list of the best public high schools in Texas, while several of the city's large comprehensive high schools rank at the bottom.
The School of Science & Engineering and School for the Talented & Gifted ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 high schools in the state for the second straight year, according to Children at Risk, a Houstonnonprofit group.
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Robert Sanborn, Children at Risk's president, said his group rated schools with one big question in mind: "Where would you send your kids to school if you wanted them to go to college?" High schools were rated on 14 measures, including test scores, graduation rates and the percentage of students taking rigorous classes. The group also ranked middle and elementary schools based on test scores, attendance rates and other criteria.
Across all grade levels, the top schools in North Texas fell mostly into one of two categories: selective magnet schools with double-digit student poverty rates or affluent suburban schools in places such as Highland Park, Plano and Frisco. But a few schools fit neither mold – take Stults Road Elementary in Richardson, ranked seventh among elementary schools in North Texas and 12th statewide. More than three-fourths of students are poor, yet they aced their state exams.
Along with some schools in Dallas, schools in the Richardson and Plano districts made particularly strong showings, Sanborn said. "Parents who are sending their kids to Richardson or Plano should be pretty happy with the school systems there," he said.
The group also came up with the 20 most improved high schools in North Texas, with Dallas' James Madison, Moises E. Molina and Hillcrest high schools topping the list. Those schools made the greatest gains in test scores and other measures over the past three academic years.
The rankings for Dallas ISD also revealed that low-income students did better in smaller, specialized schools where they're less likely to