U.S. News & World Report released rankings for the best charter elementary and middle schools in Texas on Tuesday.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
A Grand Prairie ISD campus was named Texas’ top charter K-8 school, according to new rankings released Tuesday.
Out of hundreds of Texas charter schools, U.S. News & World Report determined School for the Highly Gifted, which serves first through eighth grades, to be the best elementary school and middle school.
Related: U.S. News ranked elementary and middle schools. See how North Texas campuses performed
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U.S. News came up with two separate lists — one for charter elementary schools and another for charter middle schools. Some campuses teach multiple grades, like School for the Highly Gifted, so they appear on both rankings.
While schools across the country were evaluated, U.S. News didn’t come up with a national list, like it does for high schools. In addition to the charter school lists, U.S. News has statewide lists for elementary and middle schools, which includes traditional public schools.
Charter schools receive public funding but operate with more flexibility than a neighborhood school.
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At School for the Highly Gifted, each child receives an individualized instructional plan, and teachers are trained in working with gifted services. The school day is flexible to allow students to explore “passion projects, enrichment clusters, and competitive teams.” Roughly 160 students attend the school, state data shows.
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Among the charter elementary schools, Hudson Elementary in East Texas snatched second place. And among the charter middle schools, Cornerstone Academy in Houston was ranked second.
School for the Highly Gifted was unranked on last year’s list. For the 2025-26 school year, the Texas Education Agency graded the campus an A in its A-F accountability scale.
Other North Texas charter schools secured spots in the top 20. For example, Irving’s Uplift North Hills prep Middle was named the fifth best charter middle school, as well as the fifth best charter elementary school.
U.S. News and RTI International, a social sciences research firm, evaluated schools based on student performance in math and reading, using data from state education agencies and the Education Department.
Analysts compare standardized test scores to modeled projections for a school of its demographics. If a school with a high percentage of low-income, Black or Hispanic students scores higher than expected, that will be reflected in the school’s ranking. Schools with lower student-teacher ratios won out in tiebreaks.
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The methodology gives a “clearer view of academic achievement, helping them identify standard-setting schools and support continued success for all students,” said Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis in a news release.
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The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
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The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.