High Schools in Northside Independent School District (Isd)

The Northside Independent School District (Isd) in San Antonio, Texas, serves 17 high schools ranging from large comprehensive campuses with over 2,500 students to small specialized and alternative schools, offering a diverse educational landscape for families.

The standout school in the district is Health Careers High School, a specialized magnet school ranked 9th in Texas with near-perfect proficiency rates in subjects like Algebra I (100%) and Biology (98.5%), a 99.1% graduation rate, and a 0% dropout rate. Among traditional comprehensive high schools, O'Connor High School and Brandeis High School lead in academic performance, ranking in the 88th and 85th percentiles statewide, respectively, with strong scores in Biology and U.S. History. Brennan High School and Harlan High School excel in student retention, boasting graduation rates above 98% and dropout rates of just 0.2%. In contrast, Jay High School and Holmes High School face challenges with lower test scores and higher dropout rates, while Alternative High School spends $134,204 per student for specialized services to a small, at-risk population.

Key takeaways for parents include that Algebra I proficiency is a district-wide weakness, with even top schools like O'Connor achieving only 65.9% proficiency, while lower-performing schools like Jay hit just 17.4%. Socioeconomic factors strongly correlate with performance, as schools with lower free/reduced lunch rates, such as O'Connor (23.4%) and Brandeis (26.1%), consistently rank higher than those with higher rates like Holmes (77.6%) and Jay (71.7%). Additionally, high graduation rates do not always align with top test scores, as seen with Brennan and Taft High School, which retain students well but achieve only average academic proficiency. Spending per student also varies widely, with Holmes High School spending $9,237 per student yet ranking low, while Harlan spends just $7,564 and performs better, emphasizing that resource allocation matters more than total expenditure.