STISD Middle Schools and High Schools Rank Among the Best in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Last week, U.S. News & World Report released its 2026–2027 Best High Schools and Best Middle Schools rankings, with all four STISD high schools placing among the top 150 in Texas and both STISD middle schools among the top 100 in the state.

Among STISD’s high schools, South Texas ISD Science Academy (Science Academy) in Mercedes ranked 61st in Texas, followed by South Texas ISD Medical Professions (Medical Professions) in Olmito at 89th, South Texas ISD Health Professions (Health Professions) in Mercedes at 100th and South Texas ISD World Scholars (World Scholars) in Edinburg at 149th. Nationally, among nearly 18,000 public high schools ranked, Science Academy ranked 431st, Medical Professions ranked 634th, Health Professions ranked 754th and World Scholars ranked 1,161st.

According to U.S. News, “A great high school educates all of its students from different social and economic backgrounds, exposing them to challenging coursework on the path to graduation. The highest-ranked U.S. public schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best High Schools rankings are those whose students demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math, reading and science state assessments, earned qualifying scores on an array of college-level exams, and graduated in high proportions.”

The six measures used to determine each school’s ranking include College Readiness (30%); State Assessment Proficiency (20%); State Assessment Performance (20%); Underserved Student Performance (10%); College Curriculum Breadth (10%); and Graduation Rate (10%).

Among STISD’s middle schools, South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy (Preparatory Academy) in Edinburg ranked 30th in Texas, while South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy (Rising Scholars) in San Benito ranked 60th.

U.S. News evaluates middle schools using four equally weighted measures: Reading Proficiency, Math Proficiency, Reading Performance and Math Performance. The methodology considers both student proficiency on state assessments and school performance in the context of socioeconomic demographics.

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South Texas Independent School District (STISD) is a state- and nationally recognized public school district offering tuition-free, college- and career-focused educational opportunities to students from Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties. Through a diverse selection of specialized schools and programs, the all-magnet district empowers students to explore their interests while building the knowledge, skills and experiences needed for success in college, careers and beyond. STISD serves students in grades 6–12 through seven secondary campuses across the Rio Grande Valley, including four high schools, two middle schools and a stand-alone virtual school serving students in middle and high school. For additional information about STISD and its educational opportunities, call 1-800-21STUDY or visit www.stisd.net.