Texas communities with the best public schools in 2023: report
When it comes to buying a home, the quality of the area's public schools can play a major role in the planning decision – even if you don't have young children, proximity to quality districts can affect home values.
(NEXSTAR) – When it comes to buying a home, the quality of the area's public schools can play a major role in the planning decision – even if you don't have young children, proximity to quality districts can affect home values.
Niche, a data site that specializes in education rankings, weighed a number of factors, including academic performance, diversity, parent/student surveys, sports, clubs and more to determine which communities in Texas have the best public schools in 2023.
When it comes to the top 20 places in Texas, communities in the greater Austin area took the top two spots, Niche found:
| Place | Metro area | State | 2023 ranking | 2022 ranking | 2021 ranking |
| Rollingwood | Austin Area | Texas | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| West Lake Hills | Austin Area | Texas | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Coppell | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| University Park | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Southlake | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Highland Park | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Frisco | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 7 | 9 | 7 |
| Flower Mound | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Cinco Ranch | Houston Area | Texas | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| The Woodlands | Houston Area | Texas | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| Murphy | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 11 | 13 | 17 |
| Prosper | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 12 | 11 | 21 |
| Cedar Park | Austin Area | Texas | 13 | 15 | 27 |
| Lucas | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 14 | 14 | 11 |
| Plano | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 15 | 17 | 15 |
| Fairview | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| Sunnyvale | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 17 | 18 | 14 |
| Highland Village | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 18 | 23 | 16 |
| Double Oak | Dallas-Fort Worth Area | Texas | 19 | 28 | 23 |
At the Liberal Arts & Science Academy in Rollingwood, for instance, the no. 2 best public high school in Texas, Niche found that students were 99% proficient in both reading and math, with an average SAT score of 1410.
According to RedFin the median listing price for homes in Rollingwood is $2.5 million, however, so a move to the Austin-area community won't be cheap.
For those hoping to spend a bit less, the real estate brokerage found that Coppell had a median sale price in February of $540,000.
Another more affordable option, the Woodlands, which came in 11th on the list, has a median listing price of $550,000.
To see the full list of the best public schools in the U.S., see Niche's recently-released rankings.