Smarty Pants

These Austin-area high schools make the grade as best in Texas — and the nation

These are the best schools in Austin.

iStock

KVUE — Austin-area high schools — now is the time to give yourselves a pat on the back. According to U.S. News and World Report, Central Texas is bursting at the seams with academic excellence. In fact, the report said 22 Austin-area high schools spanning across 14 different school districts are nationally ranked.

U.S. News and World Report said they base the rankings on school performance compared to the state, underserved student performance, graduation rates higher than 80 percent, and college preparation.

Below are all of the schools who are excelling in the academic realm, according to the report:

Austin-area schools ranked in top 250 nationally (including public and private)

Meridian School in Round Rock, Texas, ranks as the sixth best high school in the nation, with a score of 100 for college readiness.
Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) ranks as the 16th best high school in the nation, with a 100 percent graduation rate and a score of 100 for college readiness.
Chaparral Star Academy ranks as the 23rd best high school in the nation, with a 94 percent graduation rate and a score of 100 for college readiness.
Kipp Austin Collegiate ranks 53rd in the nation for best high schools, with a 93 percent graduation rate and a score of 93.3 for college readiness.
Westlake Academy ranks 79th in the nation for best high schools, with a 98 percent graduation rate and a score of 87.2 for college readiness.
Richards School for Young Women Leaders ranks as the 117th best high school in the nation, with a 100 percent graduation rate and a score of 83.1 for college readiness.
Westlake High School ranks as the 213th best high school in the nation, with a 99 percent graduation rate and score of 72.4 for college readiness.
Westwood High School ranks as the 221st best high school in the nation, with a 99 percent graduation rate and a score of 72 for college readiness.

Austin-area schools ranked in top 50 in Texas (including public and private)

Meridian School in Round Rock, Texas, ranks as the best high school in Texas.
Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) ranks as the fifth best high school in Texas.
Chaparral Star Academy ranks as the sixth best high school in the state of Texas.
Kipp Austin Collegiate ranks as the 9th best high school in Texas.
Westlake Academy ranks 13th in Texas among best high schools.
Richards School for Young Women Leaders ranks as the 19th best high school in Texas.
Westlake High School ranks as the 40th best high school in the state of Texas.
Westwood High School ranks as the 43rd best high school in Texas.

Austin-area public schools ranked in top 50 in Texas (including magnet and charter)

Meridian School in Round Rock, Texas, ranks as the best high school in Texas.
Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) ranks as the fifth best high school in Texas.
Chaparral Star Academy ranks as the sixth best high school in the state of Texas.
Kipp Austin Collegiate ranks as the 9th best high school in Texas.
Westlake Academy ranks 13th in Texas for best high schools.
Richards School for Young Women Leaders ranks as the 19th best high school in Texas.
Westlake High School ranks as the 40th best high school in the state of Texas.
Westwood High School ranks as the 43rd best high school in Texas.

Austin-area public schools ranked in top 50 in Texas (no magnet or charter)

Westlake High School ranks as the sixth best high school in the state of Texas.
Westwood High School ranks as the seventh best high school in Texas.
Vandergrift High School ranks as the 13th best public high school in Texas, with a 100 percent graduation rate and a score of 64.7 for college readiness.
Lake Travis High School ranks as the 36th best public high school in Texas, with a graduation rate of 95 percent and a college readiness score of 50.7.
Round Rock High School ranks as the 44th best public high school in Texas, with a 100 percent graduation rate and a score of 47.2 for college readiness.
Alamo Colleges — Memorial College High School ranks as the 48th best public high school in Texas, with a 100 percent graduation rate and score of 46.4 for college readiness.

---

To read the full story, head to KVUE.

awards education

Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

Getty Images

Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

animals downtown civic issues