The 50 Best Texas Schools for Black Children
Find out if your child's school made the list.
There is a number that most Black families in Texas never see.
Not the school’s overall rating. Not the district average. Not the grade on the marquee out front. The number that tells you exactly how Black children are performing at a specific school, compared to every other group in that building.
When you see that number — really see it — one of two things happens.
You feel the weight of what your child’s school is not doing.
Or you feel something rarer. You feel what’s possible.
This article is about what’s possible.
In Texas, only 23% of schools earn an A for Black students. The gap between the best and worst schools for Black children in the state is 100 points. Most families spend years inside a school system without ever knowing where their child’s school falls on that spectrum. They trust the process. They show up to open house. They sign the folders that come home every Monday.
They deserve more than that.
Scattered across Texas, in suburbs and small cities and districts you’ve probably never heard of, there are schools where Black students are passing at 90, 95, even 100%. Not as an exception. As the norm. These are schools where the adults decided that what was happening everywhere else wasn’t acceptable for their students. And then they built something different.
This is a list of 50 of those schools. They were identified using 2024–25 TEA TAPR data, the most recent available, looking specifically at schools where at least 50 Black students are tested, where Black students are passing at 80% or higher, and where Black students are performing at or above the school average.
These aren’t schools that happen to have a few Black students doing well in the margins. These are schools where Black excellence is the standard.
They deserve to be named.
What the data measures
Every number in this list comes from the Texas Education Agency’s 2024–25 TAPR data. The metric is Approaches Grade Level or above on the STAAR test — the floor for grade-level readiness in Texas. A school that earns 100% means every Black student tested passed at grade level or above.
The gap shows the difference between Black student performance and the school’s overall average. A negative number means Black students are outperforming the school average. That is not common in Texas. On this list, it is the rule.
The schools
1. Grand Prairie Collegiate Institute — Grand Prairie ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 95% | Black students: 63
Every single Black student passed. And they did it 5 points above the school average. This is where the list begins because this is what the ceiling looks like when nobody puts one on Black children.
2. Cedar Hill Collegiate H S — Cedar Hill ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 97% | Black students: 218
218 Black students. Every one of them passed. Cedar Hill ISD will appear on this list again — which means this is not one exceptional teacher or one inspired principal. This is a district that made a decision about what Black children deserve and built a system around that decision.
3. George B Dealey Montessori Academy — Dallas ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 98% | Black students: 51
A Montessori school inside Dallas ISD where every Black student tested passed. The model is different. The outcome is the same.
4. James M Steele Early College H S — Northwest ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 99% | Black students: 55
Early college high schools appear on this list more than any other school type. The expectation of college readiness, applied to every student equally, produces results that look like this.
5. Harmony Science Academy-Sugar Land — Harmony Public Schools Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 99% | Black students: 92
Harmony Public Schools will appear on this list more times than any other network in Texas. 92 Black students in Sugar Land passing at 100%. Across dozens of campuses from Houston to Katy to Dallas to El Paso, Harmony is producing outcomes for Black students that most Texas districts have stopped believing are achievable. They are wrong.
6. T H Rogers School — Houston ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 99% | Black students: 75
A Houston ISD magnet school where 75 Black students passed at 100%. Inside the same district where some schools show 30 and 40-point gaps, T H Rogers shows what Houston ISD is capable of when the conditions are right.
7. Tyler ISD Early College H S — Tyler ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 99% | Black students: 100
100 Black students. 100% passing. In Tyler, Texas.
8. Arlington Collegiate H S — Arlington ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 99% | Black students: 100
Another 100 Black students passing at 100%. The number is not a coincidence — it is a result of a school built around the belief that every child can meet a high standard.
9. iUniversity Prep — Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 99% | Black students: 58
A virtual school in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD where 58 Black students passed at 100%. The building does not make the school. The expectation does.
10. School of Health Professions — Dallas ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 77
Every student in this building passed. Every Black student passed. The gap is zero because there is no gap. This is what parity looks like.
11. Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet — Dallas ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 90
A law-focused magnet school in Dallas where 90 Black students passed at 100%. The pipeline from this school to college, to law school, to leadership — that pipeline is being built one student at a time.
12. School for the Highly Gifted — Grand Prairie ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 72
Gifted programs in Texas are often places where Black students are underrepresented. This school is the exception — and the proof that inclusion and excellence are not in conflict.
13. Kerr H S — Alief ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 165
165 Black students. Every one of them passed. Alief ISD serves one of the most diverse communities in the Houston metro. Kerr High School is what a school looks like when diversity is not just tolerated but served.
14. Alief Early College H S — Alief ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 118
Alief ISD appears twice on this list. Two campuses, two different school types, the same result for Black students. Alief is not an accident either.
15. Carnegie Vanguard H S — Houston ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 55
One of Houston ISD’s most competitive magnet schools. 55 Black students at 100%. The competitive admissions process raises questions about access — but the outcome is undeniable.
16. Challenge Early College H S — Houston ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 57
A second Houston ISD school on this list. Early college programs keep appearing because the model works. The message to Black students — you belong in college, starting now — changes what students believe about themselves.
17. Carver Center — Midland ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 83
83 Black students in Midland, Texas passing at 100%. Midland is an oil town, not a city known for educational equity. The data doesn’t care about reputation.
18. Mansfield Frontier STEM Academy — Mansfield ISD Black pass rate: 100% | School average: 100% | Black students: 101
A STEM academy in Mansfield where 101 Black students passed at 100%. STEM schools and Black excellence appear together on this list repeatedly. The narrative that Black students don’t excel in STEM is not supported by the data.
19. Harmony Science Academy-Houston — Harmony Public Schools Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 78% | Black students: 69
Black students are passing at a rate 21 points higher than the school average. Read that again. The school overall passes at 78%. Black students pass at 99%. In this building, Black students are not catching up. Everyone else is.
20. Edward Roberson Middle — Spring ISD Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 97% | Black students: 221
221 Black middle school students passing at 99%. The statewide middle school pass rate for Black students is 63%. This school is not operating in the same reality as the rest of Texas. It has built something different and it works.
21. Judson Early College Academy — Judson ISD Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 98% | Black students: 90
22. Young Women’s Leadership Academy — Aldine ISD Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 98% | Black students: 87
A school built specifically for young women in Aldine ISD, where 87 Black girls are passing at 99%. The investment in Black girls specifically produces results. This school is proof.
23. Kinder H S for Performing and Visual Arts — Houston ISD Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 98% | Black students: 182
182 Black students in a performing arts high school passing at 99%. This school exists at the intersection of two things that some people still believe don’t belong together — art and academic excellence. The data disagrees.
24. Viridian Elementary — Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 98% | Black students: 70
25. BASIS San Antonio-Shavano Campus — BASIS Texas Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 99% | Black students: 111
111 Black students at a rigorous BASIS campus in San Antonio passing at 99%. High expectations applied equally produce equal outcomes. The data keeps saying this.
26. Stafford STEM Magnet Academy — Stafford MSD Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 99% | Black students: 103
27. TCCSE Early College H S at Timberview — Mansfield ISD Black pass rate: 99% | School average: 99% | Black students: 67
Mansfield ISD appears twice on this list. Two different schools, two different models, the same outcome for Black students. Mansfield is worth watching.
28. R V Groves Elementary — Wylie ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 87% | Black students: 84
An elementary school in Wylie — a suburb of Dallas that most people outside the metroplex have never heard of — where 84 Black students are passing at 98% and outperforming the school average by 11 points. The schools getting it right are not always in the places you’d expect. That is the whole point of this list.
29. Blanson CTE H S — Aldine ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 95% | Black students: 145
145 Black students at a career and technical high school in Aldine ISD passing at 98%. Aldine ISD appears twice on this list. The pattern holds.
30. Terrell Elementary — Lamar CISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 96% | Black students: 100
100 Black elementary students passing at 98% in Fort Bend County. The foundation being built here matters. These children will arrive at middle school ready.
31. Arlington College and Career H S — Arlington ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 96% | Black students: 65
32. SST Sugar Land College Prep H S — School of Science and Technology Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 97% | Black students: 130
130 Black students at a college prep school in Sugar Land passing at 98%. The Sugar Land area shows up repeatedly as a place where Black students are thriving. Something about this community and its schools is working.
33. Kimberlin Academy for Excellence — Garland ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 97% | Black students: 52
34. Carl Wunsche Sr H S — Spring ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 97% | Black students: 122
Spring ISD appears twice on this list — Carl Wunsche and Edward Roberson Middle at #20. 122 Black high school students passing at 98%. Spring ISD is doing something right and it is showing up at multiple grade levels.
35. Henry W Longfellow Career Exploration Academy — Dallas ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 98% | Black students: 84
36. Trinity Heights Gifted and Talented School — Dallas ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 98% | Black students: 83
A gifted and talented school in Dallas where 83 Black students are at exact parity with the school average. Gifted programs in Texas too often exclude Black children. This school is the counter-argument.
37. Rise Academy — Rise Academy Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 98% | Black students: 62
38. Talkington School for Young Women Leaders — Lubbock ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 98% | Black students: 89
Lubbock is not a city people point to when they talk about educational equity for Black students. 89 Black young women passing at 98% says something different about what Lubbock is capable of when it decides to invest.
39. Young Women’s Leadership Academy — Midland ISD Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 98% | Black students: 97
Schools for young women appear three times on this list — Aldine, Lubbock, and Midland. The intentional investment in Black girls is producing some of the strongest outcomes in the state.
40. Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts — Fort Worth Black pass rate: 98% | School average: 98% | Black students: 51
A fine arts school in Fort Worth where Black students and the school average are identical. Zero gap. The arts are not a distraction from academic achievement. They are a path to it.
41. Dr Kirk Lewis Career and Technical H S — Pasadena ISD Black pass rate: 97% | School average: 91% | Black students: 62
Black students are outperforming the school average by 6 points at a career and technical high school in Pasadena. The idea that CTE schools are a lesser track is not supported here. This is rigorous work producing exceptional outcomes.
42. Mark Twain School for the Talented and Gifted — Dallas ISD Black pass rate: 97% | School average: 96% | Black students: 100
100 Black students at a gifted program in Dallas passing at 97%. Dallas ISD has some of the worst gaps in the state and some of the best outcomes. The district contains multitudes. This school is the best of it.
43. Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy — Grand Prairie ISD Black pass rate: 97% | School average: 96% | Black students: 101
Grand Prairie ISD appears three times on this list. Three campuses. Three different school types. The same commitment to Black student outcomes running through all of them.
44. Killeen ISD Early College H S — Killeen ISD Black pass rate: 97% | School average: 97% | Black students: 72
Killeen ISD serves a large military-connected population. 72 Black students passing at 97% in an early college program. The military community and HBCUs have a long connection. The college-going expectation here is not abstract.
45. Cedar Hill Collegiate Academy — Cedar Hill ISD Black pass rate: 97% | School average: 97% | Black students: 221
Cedar Hill ISD appears for the third time. 221 Black students. 97% passing. Zero gap. Three campuses on this list means this is not a program. It is a culture. Cedar Hill ISD has built a culture around Black student excellence and the results are visible across an entire district.
46. Houston Academy for International Studies — Houston ISD Black pass rate: 97% | School average: 97% | Black students: 164
164 Black students in an international studies program in Houston passing at 97%. The world is available to these children. The data says they are ready for it.
47. Sam Houston Elementary — Marshall ISD Black pass rate: 97% | School average: 97% | Black students: 61
An elementary school in Marshall, in deep East Texas, where 61 Black students are at exact parity with the school average. Marshall is a small city with a significant Black community. This school is serving that community well.
48. KIPP Connect Houston Primary — KIPP Texas Public Schools Black pass rate: 96% | School average: 85% | Black students: 57
Black students outperforming the school average by 11 points at a KIPP elementary school in Houston. KIPP Texas appears on this list across multiple Houston campuses. The network’s model — extended school days, high expectations, intensive teacher coaching — is producing results for Black students.
49. Hornedo Middle — El Paso ISD Black pass rate: 96% | School average: 87% | Black students: 76
A middle school in El Paso where 76 Black students pass at 96% — 9 points above the school average. El Paso ISD appears here as a reminder that the best outcomes for Black students are not confined to the major metros.
50. Harmony School of Innovation-Houston — Harmony Public Schools Black pass rate: 96% | School average: 88% | Black students: 97
Harmony closes this list the same way it appeared throughout it — with Black students outperforming the school average. 97 Black students in Houston passing at 96%, 8 points above the school average. Harmony Public Schools is the most consistent network on this list, and it is not close.
What these schools have in common
Spend enough time with this list and the patterns become impossible to ignore.
Early college programs dominate. Cedar Hill, Arlington, Tyler, Judson, Killeen, Alief, Houston — early college programs appear more than any other school type. The reason is not mysterious. When a school tells a Black child from the day they arrive that college is not a possibility but an expectation, and then organizes the entire academic program around that expectation, the child rises to meet it. High expectations are not just motivational language. They change what students attempt, what teachers assign, and what the school treats as acceptable. The early college model applies that pressure equally to every student, and the Black student outcomes show it.
Harmony Public Schools is in a category of its own. No other network in Texas appears on this list as consistently or with as many students. Across Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Dallas, and beyond, Harmony is producing Black student pass rates in the 94% to 100% range on campus after campus. The network’s STEM focus creates an environment where rigor is the default rather than the exception. Black students in Harmony schools are not being placed in slower tracks or lower expectations — they are being held to the same standard as every other student. And they are meeting it.
Cedar Hill ISD is the most important district on this list. Three campuses. Hundreds of Black students. Consistent outcomes at the 97% to 100% level. Cedar Hill is not a wealthy district. It is not a predominantly white district. It serves a majority-minority community in southwest DFW where Black students make up a significant share of enrollment. The conditions that are often cited as explanations for low Black student performance exist in Cedar Hill. The low outcomes do not. That is not luck. That is leadership, culture, and a district-wide commitment to Black student success that shows up in the data at every grade level, on every campus, year after year.
Schools for young women are producing some of the strongest outcomes in the state. The Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Aldine, the Talkington School for Young Women Leaders in Lubbock, and the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Midland all appear on this list with Black student pass rates of 97% to 99%. The intentional investment in Black girls — schools designed specifically with their success in mind — produces results that most co-ed schools cannot match. That is a data point worth sitting with.
The school type does not determine the outcome. Montessori schools, STEM academies, fine arts programs, career and technical schools, virtual schools, gifted programs, law magnets, performing arts schools — every model is represented on this list. What is not represented is a single model that works and a single model that doesn’t. The thread is not what kind of school it is. The thread is what kind of adults are in the building and what they believe about the children in front of them.
That belief — that Black children can meet any standard placed in front of them when the environment is built to support them — is what every school on this list has in common.
What parents can do
Texas has open enrollment options that allow families to apply to schools outside their assigned attendance zone. The process varies by district, but the option exists in most major districts. Early college high schools often have application processes that begin in eighth grade.
Start at texastea.hbcugrad.org. Search your city, your district, or your zip code. See exactly where your child’s school stands. Then look up the schools on this list that are closest to you. The gap between where your child is and where they could be is not fixed. These 50 schools are proof.
A final word
Every child on this list is someone’s son. Someone’s daughter. A child whose parent dropped them off at the curb that morning with the same love and the same hope that every Black parent carries.
The difference is what happened after the door closed.
In these 50 schools, what happened is that Black children were taught, challenged, seen, and held to a standard that assumed they were capable of excellence. And they were.
That is not a miracle. It is a choice. And every school in Texas that is not on this list has the same choice to make.
Share this with every Black parent you know. The data was always public. Now it is in the right hands.
Data source: Texas Education Agency TAPR 2024–25. Metric: Approaches Grade Level and above on STAAR. Minimum 50 Black students tested. Schools where Black students pass at 80% or higher and at or above the school average. Tool available at texastea.hbcugrad.org.