academic excellence

20 Austin K-8 schools excel in 2026 U.S. News rankings

Cactus Ranch Elementary School in Round Rock is the 10th best elementary school in Texas for 2026.

Round Rock ISD/Facebook

More than a dozen Austin-area elementary and middle schools have excelled on U.S. News and World Report's just-released list of the best K-8 schools in Texas for 2026. One is an over-the-top achiever: Cactus Ranch Elementary in Round Rock ISD ranked as one of the 10 best elementary schools in the state.

In ranking the 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools, U.S. News compared more than 81,000 public schools on the state and district level using publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on their students' proficiencies in mathematics and reading, plus their performances on state assessments for both subjects.

Tiebreakers were decided based on which school had higher overall proficiencies, and a second tiebreaker was determined for whichever school had a lower student-teacher ratio.

The best Texas elementary schools for 2026
Cactus Ranch Elementary moved up eight spots from its former 2025 ranking to land as the 10th best elementary school in Texas. It was the only Austin-area school to rank in the top 10, but four more ranked among the top 25.

Austin's Laurel Mountain Elementary in Round Rock ISD made a major leap into the statewide top 25. The school had a 31-place hike from last year's ranking to land as No. 22 for 2026.

"At Laurel Mountain Elementary, 91 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 87 percent scored at or above that level for reading," the school's profile on U.S. News said.

Other Austin-area elementary schools that ranked among the statewide top 100 include:

No. 15 – Canyon Creek Elementary School, Round Rock ISD (up from No. 19 last year)
No. 23 – Basis Austin (down from No. 16 last year)
No. 24 – Patsy Sommer Elementary School, Round Rock ISD (down from No. 22 last year)
No. 35 – Elsa England Elementary School, Round Rock ISD (up from No. 42 last year)
No. 52 – Barton Creek Elementary School, Eanes ISD (up from No. 130 last year)
No. 55 – Highland Park Elementary School, Austin ISD (up from No. 101 last year)
No. 70 – Clayton Elementary School, Austin ISD (up from No. 94 last year)
No. 77 – Barton Hills Elementary School, Austin ISD (up from No. 145 last year)
No. 78 – Mills Elementary School, Austin ISD (up from No. 88 last year)
No. 83 – River Ridge Elementary, Leander ISD (down from No. 31 last year)
No. 84 – Cedar Creek Elementary, Eanes ISD (up from No. 100 last year)

The best Texas middle schools
Northwest Austin's Canyon Vista Middle School in Round Rock ISD was the only local middle school to make it into the top 25 best middle schools in Texas for 2026, but six more local schools ranked among the top 100.

The Austin-area middle schools that were earned spots among the top 100 are:

No. 28 – Hill Country Middle School, Eanes ISD (up from No. 47 last year)
No. 55 – West Ridge Middle School, Eanes ISD (up from No. 81 last year)
No. 58 – Cedar Valley Middle School, Round Rock ISD (up from No. 64 last year)
No. 76 – Florence W. Stiles Middle School, Leander (up from No. 100 last year)
No. 78 – Pearson Ranch Middle School, Round Rock ISD (up from No. 85 last year)
No. 83 – James Garland Walsh Middle School, Round Rock ISD (up from No. 91 last year)

"The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all," said U.S. News managing editor for education LaMont Jones, Ed.D. in a press release. "These rankings offer communities and families valuable insights into schools dedicated to preparing students for future success."

elementary schools middle schools us news us news & world report austin austin isd round rock isd round rock

income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

The cost of raising a child has ballooned in major cities like Austin, forcing many families to weight the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Austin — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Central Texas, however, is slightly more expensive. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $24,118 to raise a child in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family