STISD and campuses rank among the best in Niche Best Schools Rankings for eighth consecutive year

Niche just released its 2022 Best Schools K-12 School & District Rankings, and for the eighth year in a row, STISD and its campuses ranked among the best in the state and nation.

With an A+ overall grade, STISD ranked 2nd in Texas (out of 1,018 school districts ranked) and 20th in the nation (out of 10,772 districts ranked) in the Best School Districts rankings. The district also earned the top spots in the state in the Best Places to Teach in Texas and the Districts with the Best Teachers in Texas.  

All six STISD campuses eligible for the ranking were ranked among the best in the state and nation in the 2022 Niche K-12 Schools lists, which grade and rank schools and districts based upon criteria ranging from academics to culture and teachers.

STISD’s two middle schools earned spots in the top three in the Best Public Middle Schools in Texas and Best Public Middle School Teachers in Texas categories. South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy (Preparatory Academy) in Edinburg ranked first (for the second year in a row) in the Best Public Middle Schools in Texas (out of 2,223 schools ranked) and second in Best Public Middle School Teachers in Texas (out of 2,168). South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy (Rising Scholars) in San Benito earned first place in the Best Public Middle School Teachers in Texas category and third in the Best Public Middle Schools in Texas. Both campuses received an A+ overall Niche grade. In the Best Public Middle School Teachers in America, Rising Scholars ranked 2nd and Preparatory Academy ranked 8th out of 24,806 schools ranked. In the Best Public Middle Schools in America category, Preparatory Academy ranked 27th and Rising Scholars ranked 35th out of 25,343 schools ranked. In the Best Public Middle Schools in their counties – Hidalgo and Cameron – both campuses also claimed the number one spot.  

All four STISD high schools also ranked among the top in the state and nation in the 2022 Best Public High Schools lists again this year. South Texas ISD Science Academy (Science Academy) in Mercedes ranked 12th in the state (out of 1,773) and 145th in the nation (out of 19,984) and received an A+ overall grade. The campus claimed first place in the Best Public High Schools in Hidalgo County. South Texas ISD Health Professions (Health Professions) in Mercedes ranked 83rd in the state and 2nd in Hidalgo County, and received an A. South Texas ISD Medical Professions (Medical Professions) in Olmito ranked 89th in the state, 1st in Best Public High Schools in Cameron County, and received an A. South Texas ISD World Scholars (World Scholars) in Edinburg ranked 92nd in the state, 3rd in Hidalgo County, and received an A.

All four high schools and the two middle schools claimed the top spots within their respective counties.

These are only a few of the categories by which Niche ranked campuses and districts. The following are links to access the detailed lists of district and campus rankings:

South Texas Independent School District: https://www.niche.com/k12/d/south-texas-independent-school-district-tx/rankings/

South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy: https://www.niche.com/k12/south-texas-isd-preparatory-academy-edinburg-tx/rankings/

South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy: https://www.niche.com/k12/south-texas-isd-rising-scholars-academy-san-benito-tx/rankings/

South Texas ISD Health Professions: https://www.niche.com/k12/south-texas-isd-health-professions-mercedes-tx/rankings/

South Texas ISD Medical Professions: https://www.niche.com/k12/south-texas-isd-medical-professions-olmito-tx/rankings/

South Texas ISD Science Academy: https://www.niche.com/k12/south-texas-isd-science-academy-mercedes-tx/rankings/

South Texas ISD World Scholars: https://www.niche.com/k12/south-texas-isd-world-scholars-edinburg-tx/rankings/

According to the company website, the 2022 Best School Districts ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and more.

Additional information on the methodology used for the grading and ranking is available on the Niche website here: https://k12.niche.com/rankings/methodology/.