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Carnegie Vanguard High School

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

6^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,009 Texas High Schools

Better than 100% of Texas high schools

Summary

Carnegie Vanguard High School is a small, premier magnet school in Houston's Montrose area, serving 855 students in grades 9-12 within the Houston Independent School District (Isd) and consistently ranking among the top high schools in Texas.

Carnegie Vanguard stands out for its near-perfect academic outcomes across all student groups. Test scores are exceptional, with proficiency rates of 99% or higher in Biology, English I and II, and U.S. History—far exceeding district averages. The school also boasts a 98.5% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate, a stark contrast to nearby zoned schools like Yates High School (75.4% graduation) and Northside High School (83.5% graduation). Remarkably, Carnegie Vanguard achieves these results with lower per-student spending ($8,277) than any nearby competitor, including Yates ($12,370) and Northside ($10,307), demonstrating efficient use of resources. The school also ranks #1 in Texas for Special Education student performance, showing its support systems are highly effective.

While Carnegie Vanguard is a top-tier magnet alongside Kinder H S For Performing And Visual Arts (ranked #16 in Texas), it serves a more diverse socioeconomic population, with 32.5% of students economically disadvantaged compared to Kinder's 23.2%. This is significantly lower than nearby comprehensive schools like Lamar High School (47.2%) and Heights High School (60.5%). An interesting note: while the school excels for nearly every subgroup, its Gifted and Talented students rank lower (63rd percentile), likely because the entire student body already operates at an accelerated level, making the GT label less differentiating here.

855

Students ?

22.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,505

Per pupil spending ?

32.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1501 Taft
Houston, TX 77019-4507

(713) 732-3690

District: Houston Independent School District (Isd)

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

34.2%

Asian:

32.0%

White:

18.6%

See top rated Texas high schools

Compare Carnegie Vanguard High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 100th percentile in 2016 → 100th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Texas average (99% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of Texas high schools

✓98% graduate within 4 years

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school99%

District avg62%

Texas avg62%

6^th of 2,009

Texas public high schools ?

Top 1%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Texas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 45High Schools in the Houston Independent School District (Isd)

438^th of 951Houston Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	94.9	6 of 2009	99.7%	★★★★★
2025	96.0	7 of 1974	99.6%	★★★★★
2024	95.7	8 of 1990	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	93.7	18 of 1961	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	95.5	6 of 1876	99.7%	★★★★★
2021	94.2	12 of 1861	99.4%	★★★★★
2019	95.3	7 of 1857	99.6%	★★★★★
2018	96.4	8 of 1797	99.6%	★★★★★
2017	96.3	11 of 1777	99.4%	★★★★★
2016	84.3	6 of 1762	99.7%	★★★★★
2015	85.1	14 of 1743	99.2%	★★★★★
2014	86.3	3 of 1734	99.8%	★★★★★
2013	88.4	6 of 1652	99.6%	★★★★★
2012	87.2	11 of 1603	99.3%	★★★★★
2011	83.4	13 of 1672	99.2%	★★★★★
2010	83.5	21 of 1568	98.7%	★★★★★
2009	87.2	9 of 1539	99.4%	★★★★★
2008	89.7	9 of 1510	99.4%	★★★★★
2007	89.6	11 of 1497	99.3%	★★★★★
2006	90.7	3 of 1430	99.8%	★★★★★
2005	89.4	15 of 1429	99.0%	★★★★★
2004	85.9	23 of 1427	98.4%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	97.0	15 of 1086	98.6%	★★★★★
2024	96.8	18 of 1065	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	93.4	52 of 1069	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	94.9	39 of 1031	96.2%	★★★★★
2021	94.1	32 of 1020	96.9%	★★★★★
2019	94.0	37 of 1024	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	98.6	6 of 1013	99.4%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	81.4	48 of 556	91.4%	★★★★★
2024	81.6	48 of 530	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	82.2	43 of 525	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	83.8	34 of 507	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	86.3	15 of 488	96.9%	★★★★★
2019	85.4	17 of 487	96.5%	★★★★★
2018	86.0	16 of 486	96.7%	★★★★★

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	97.0	20 of 1837	98.9%	★★★★★
2021	95.4	28 of 1829	98.5%	★★★★★
2019	97.3	28 of 1810	98.5%	★★★★★
2018	99.1	7 of 1784	99.6%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	98.3	23 of 1195	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	96.6	21 of 1437	98.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.9	29 of 1371	97.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	93.0	17 of 1936	99.1%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	7 of 1880	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.5	24 of 1891	98.7%	★★★★★
2022	94.0	9 of 1841	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	92.3	22 of 1815	98.8%	★★★★★
2019	94.0	11 of 1798	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	95.6	8 of 1781	99.6%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	66.0	445 of 1206	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.6	595 of 1182	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	67.8	404 of 1172	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.1	490 of 1177	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.0	458 of 1145	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.6	410 of 1137	63.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	95.9	15 of 1860	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.2	10 of 1805	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	94.7	18 of 1820	99.0%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	13 of 1762	99.3%	★★★★★
2021	94.1	21 of 1743	98.8%	★★★★★
2019	96.4	9 of 1714	99.5%	★★★★★
2018	96.6	12 of 1691	99.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	96.3	21 of 1937	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	96.7	11 of 1884	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	95.2	24 of 1897	98.7%	★★★★★
2022	96.7	13 of 1847	99.3%	★★★★★
2021	96.1	17 of 1848	99.1%	★★★★★
2019	96.8	16 of 1818	99.1%	★★★★★
2018	97.5	17 of 1794	99.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	95.4	8 of 1954	99.6%	★★★★★
2024	95.2	10 of 1891	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	14 of 1913	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	95.8	6 of 1853	99.7%	★★★★★
2021	94.8	15 of 1840	99.2%	★★★★★
2019	95.7	8 of 1824	99.6%	★★★★★
2018	96.1	12 of 1803	99.3%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	92.7	16 of 713	97.8%	★★★★★
2024	93.3	15 of 731	97.9%	★★★★★
2023	81.3	81 of 677	88.0%	★★★★☆
2022	94.2	11 of 664	98.3%	★★★★★
2019	92.8	19 of 604	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	91.6	8 of 582	98.6%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	100.0	1 of 1581	99.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	90.9	30 of 1584	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	92.8	26 of 1556	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	90.3	39 of 1576	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	94.0	13 of 1525	99.1%	★★★★★
2021	92.2	18 of 1510	98.8%	★★★★★
2019	93.7	9 of 1526	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	94.4	11 of 1539	99.3%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2026)100th percentile~ school

Male (2026)100th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)99th percentile~ school

Female (2026)99th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)99th percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)99th percentile~ school

African American (2026)99th percentile~ school

White (2026)98th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)98th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)98th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)91st percentile-8 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)63rd percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

English II Reading100%+40 vs state

U.S. History99%+29 vs state

English I Reading99%+44 vs state

Biology99%+29 vs state

Algebra I89%+35 vs state

3.0

4 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student on FaceBook
Tuesday, September 21, 2010

i love Carnegie..ive always wanted to attend a school that would challenge me, and Carnegie is the school. i LOVE THE FACT THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE VERY INVOLVED IN OUR EDUCATION AND THE AAMOUNT OF HOMEWORK IS PERFECT FOR STUDENTS LIKE ME THAT LOVE TO BE CHALLENGED. Close Quote

Schools Near Carnegie Vanguard High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR EOC Biology (2026)	STAAR EOC English I Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC English II Reading (2026)	STAAR EOC U.S. History (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)		STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR EOC Biology End of Course	STAAR EOC English I Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC English II Reading End of Course	STAAR EOC U.S. History End of Course	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Carnegie Vanguard High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1501 Taft	Houston	77019	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	No	(713) 732-3690	855	38	22.7	32.5%	159 (18.6%)	90 (10.5%)	292 (34.2%)	274 (32.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (4.4%)	94.9	6^th of 2009 public high schools	99.7%		96	7^th of 1974 public high schools	99.6%	1	89.3	99.0	99.1	99.6	99.1							$7,505
Hcc Life Skills Program	Public	12	1301 Alabama St	Houston	77004	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(713) 718-6882	69	6	11.5	82.6%	4 (5.8%)	18 (26.1%)	44 (63.8%)	2 (2.9%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$37,921
Kinder H S For Performing And Visual Arts	Public, Magnet	9-12	790 Austin St	Houston	77002	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	No	(713) 942-1960	782	48	16.1	23.1%	254 (32.5%)	146 (18.7%)	238 (30.4%)	86 (11.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.0%)	93.7	16^th of 2009 public high schools	99.2%		94.4	21^st of 1974 public high schools	98.9%	5	93.5	98.0	96.6	96.3	98.3							$9,238
Houston Academy For International Studies	Public, Magnet	9-12	1810 Stuart	Houston	77004	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 942-1430	473	21	22.5	59.2%	42 (8.9%)	116 (24.5%)	291 (61.5%)	12 (2.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	85.1	122^nd of 2009 public high schools	93.9%		81.8	187^th of 1974 public high schools	90.5%	65	73.4	90.1	85.8	81.4	91.9							$7,895
Young Women's College Prep Academy	Public, Magnet	6-12	1906 Cleburne St	Houston	77004	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 942-1441	494	27	18.3	58.7%	17 (3.4%)	267 (54.0%)	191 (38.7%)	9 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.6%)	83.3	146^th of 2009 public high schools	92.7%		82.5	173^rd of 1974 public high schools	91.2%	27	69.7	94.8	86.0	93.8	96.2	77.8	72.6	79.7	46.4	43.3	42.0	$8,881
H S For Law And Justice	Public, Magnet	9-12	3503 Coyle	Houston	77003	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 867-5100	391	24	16.0	82.1%	13 (3.3%)	77 (19.7%)	295 (75.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	68.1	476^th of 2009 public high schools	76.3%		72.3	359^th of 1974 public high schools	81.8%	117	19.3	83.3	75.6	79.5	83.8							$12,174
Northside High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1101 Quitman	Houston	77009	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 226-4900	1,058	73	14.4	95.6%	10 (0.9%)	168 (15.9%)	874 (82.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	49.7	954^th of 2009 public high schools	52.5%		33.7	1307^th of 1974 public high schools	33.8%	353	70.2	68.8	46.1	54.9	68.1							$11,802
Lamar High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	3325 Westheimer Rd	Houston	77098	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 522-5960	2,968	151	19.6	47.2%	587 (19.8%)	917 (30.9%)	1,207 (40.7%)	157 (5.3%)	9 (0.3%)	3 (0.1%)	88 (3.0%)	53.5	859^th of 2009 public high schools	57.2%		54.2	798^th of 1974 public high schools	59.6%	61	31.8	74.2	60.9	58.6	76.8							$8,619
Yates High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	3650 Alabama St	Houston	77004	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 748-5400	685	64	10.6	93.3%	9 (1.3%)	557 (81.3%)	102 (14.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.3%)	48.1	994^th of 2009 public high schools	50.5%		29.6	1407^th of 1974 public high schools	28.7%	413	61.7	76.2	51.4	48.3	65.5							$16,199
Heights High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	413 E 13th St	Houston	77008	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 865-4400	2,426	123	19.7	60.5%	346 (14.3%)	222 (9.2%)	1,774 (73.1%)	35 (1.4%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (1.9%)	60.3	676^th of 2009 public high schools	66.4%		63.2	588^th of 1974 public high schools	70.2%	88	42.1	75.1	64.0	65.3	76.8							$8,755

Frequently Asked Questions about Carnegie Vanguard High School

Is Carnegie Vanguard High School a good school?

Yes! Carnegie Vanguard High School is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 6^th of 2009 Texas high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Carnegie Vanguard High School?

Students at Carnegie Vanguard High School are 34% Hispanic, 32% Asian, 19% White, 11% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Carnegie Vanguard High School in?

Houston Independent School District (Isd)

How many students attend Carnegie Vanguard High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 855 students attended Carnegie Vanguard High School.

Rate Carnegie Vanguard High School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.