Best High Schools in Texas for Special Education Students

Check out our new feature available only on SchoolDigger: rankings for different groups of students in Texas!

Every year, the Texas Education Agency shares test results for various student groups in each school. We use these results to find out which schools do best for each group and list them from the best to the worst.

Additionally, we also compare the performance of the subgroup to the performance of the school as a whole. This makes it easy to see if, for example, Special Education students are overperforming or underperforming their peers in each school.

JUST IN! Texas STAAR EOC test scores and updated rankings for the 2025-26 school year were recently posted to SchoolDigger!

Year after year, SchoolDigger is always the first to publish Texas test scores and rankings. Other leading school comparison sites use data that is up to FOUR years old! Be in the know with the very latest performance metrics.

School	Students/Teachers	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)	Ranking (Special Education vs All Students - 2026)	ID
1	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%)	$7,505	99.9%	99.7%	0.24%	482364009273
1	School For The Talented And Gifted	Public, Magnet	9-12	1201 E Eighth St	Dallas	75203	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 925-5970	555	32	17.6	39.6%	188 (33.9%)	36 (6.5%)	234 (42.2%)	67 (12.1%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	25 (4.5%)	$8,390	99.9%	99.9%	0.04%	481623005865
3	James M Steele Early College High School	Public	9-12	606 N Walnut	Roanoke	76262	Denton County	Northwest Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(817) 698-5800	309	20	15.7		150 (48.5%)	43 (13.9%)	80 (25.9%)	28 (9.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	$11,991	99.8%	98.6%	1.20%	483318012421
4	Arlington Collegiate High School	Public	9-12	2224 Southeast Pkwy	Arlington	76018	Tarrant County	Arlington Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 515-3550	401	18	22.8	82.0%	20 (5.0%)	77 (19.2%)	271 (67.6%)	21 (5.2%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	6 (1.5%)	$6,695	99.7%	95.7%	4.08%	480870013043
4	Legacy Early College High School	Public	9-12	516 N Main St	Taylor	76574	Williamson County	Taylor Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(512) 352-9569	105	8	13.4	48.6%	44 (41.9%)	6 (5.7%)	52 (49.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.9%)	$9,173	99.7%	95.0%	4.77%	484228013845
6	Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy	Public	9-12	1700 E Camp Wisdom	Dallas	75241	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(214) 932-7300	342	19	18	81.3%	2 (0.6%)	135 (39.5%)	194 (56.7%)	3 (0.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	$10,319	99.6%	91.1%	8.53%	481623012028
6	Tyler Independent School District (Isd) Early College High School	Public	9-12	3011 Earl Campbell Pkwy	Tyler	75701	Smith County	Tyler Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 262-3098	447	22	20.7	73.6%	82 (18.3%)	71 (15.9%)	266 (59.5%)	14 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.9%)	$9,175	99.6%	97.7%	1.96%	484347013613
8	Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet	Public, Magnet	9-12	1201 E Eighth St	Dallas	75203	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 925-5920	494	26	19	78.9%	35 (7.1%)	77 (15.6%)	352 (71.3%)	24 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	$7,332	99.5%	99.8%	0.31%	481623005444
9	Debakey H S For Health Prof	Public, Magnet	9-12	2545 Pressler	Houston	77030	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 741-2410	929	54	17.3	39.8%	139 (15.0%)	147 (15.8%)	304 (32.7%)	301 (32.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (3.8%)	$9,064	99.4%	99.1%	0.33%	482364002483
9	School Of Science And Engineering	Public, Magnet	9-12	1201 E Eighth St	Dallas	75203	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 925-5960	505	26	19.4	65.3%	53 (10.5%)	37 (7.3%)	357 (70.7%)	47 (9.3%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.4%)	$8,154	99.4%	99.9%	0.42%	481623003641

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Other SchoolDigger ranking lists for Texas

Elementary Schools Middle Schools High Schools Districts Cities

New! SchoolDigger ranking lists for TX student subgroups:

Female Students Male Students Asian Students African American Students Hispanic Students Native American Students Pacific Islander Students White Students Multi-racial Students English Language Learner Students Low Socio Economic Status Students Migrant Students Gifted and Talented Students

About our rankings:

Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on STAAR EOC Algebra I, STAAR EOC Biology, STAAR EOC English I Reading, STAAR EOC English II Reading, STAAR EOC U.S. History test scores released by the Texas Education Agency.
These rankings were last updated on June 17, 2026, and are based on the most recent test scores available. We update rankings as we receive new test scores from the Texas Education Agency, usually on a yearly basis.
Our sources of data include the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the Texas Education Agency.
For more information about our ranking process, please see our Ranking FAQ. Details about our methodology are here.

Educational resources:

Per-Pupil Spending: Understanding the Breakdown of Federal, State, and Local Funds

State-Administered Standardized Tests: A Comprehensive Guide

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

School														Students/Teachers											Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)							Ranking (Special Education vs All Students - 2026)					ID
Rank (of 1581)	School	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Disc Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel from Federal Funds	Total from Federal Funds	Personnel from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Total from State and Local Funds	Statewide Rank Percentile (Special Education)	Statewide Rank Percentile (All Students)	Rank Percentile Difference from All Students	SchoolDigger Rating (Special Education)	SchoolDigger Rating (All Students)	ID
1	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%)	$7,505							99.9%	99.7%	0.24%			482364009273
1	School For The Talented And Gifted	Public, Magnet	9-12	1201 E Eighth St	Dallas	75203	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 925-5970	555	32	17.6	39.6%	188 (33.9%)	36 (6.5%)	234 (42.2%)	67 (12.1%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	25 (4.5%)	$8,390							99.9%	99.9%	0.04%			481623005865
3	James M Steele Early College High School	Public	9-12	606 N Walnut	Roanoke	76262	Denton County	Northwest Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(817) 698-5800	309	20	15.7		150 (48.5%)	43 (13.9%)	80 (25.9%)	28 (9.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	$11,991							99.8%	98.6%	1.20%			483318012421
4	Arlington Collegiate High School	Public	9-12	2224 Southeast Pkwy	Arlington	76018	Tarrant County	Arlington Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(817) 515-3550	401	18	22.8	82.0%	20 (5.0%)	77 (19.2%)	271 (67.6%)	21 (5.2%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	6 (1.5%)	$6,695							99.7%	95.7%	4.08%			480870013043
4	Legacy Early College High School	Public	9-12	516 N Main St	Taylor	76574	Williamson County	Taylor Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(512) 352-9569	105	8	13.4	48.6%	44 (41.9%)	6 (5.7%)	52 (49.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.9%)	$9,173							99.7%	95.0%	4.77%			484228013845
6	Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy	Public	9-12	1700 E Camp Wisdom	Dallas	75241	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(214) 932-7300	342	19	18	81.3%	2 (0.6%)	135 (39.5%)	194 (56.7%)	3 (0.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	$10,319							99.6%	91.1%	8.53%			481623012028
6	Tyler Independent School District (Isd) Early College High School	Public	9-12	3011 Earl Campbell Pkwy	Tyler	75701	Smith County	Tyler Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(903) 262-3098	447	22	20.7	73.6%	82 (18.3%)	71 (15.9%)	266 (59.5%)	14 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.9%)	$9,175							99.6%	97.7%	1.96%			484347013613
8	Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet	Public, Magnet	9-12	1201 E Eighth St	Dallas	75203	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 925-5920	494	26	19	78.9%	35 (7.1%)	77 (15.6%)	352 (71.3%)	24 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	$7,332							99.5%	99.8%	0.31%			481623005444
9	Debakey H S For Health Prof	Public, Magnet	9-12	2545 Pressler	Houston	77030	Harris County	Houston Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(713) 741-2410	929	54	17.3	39.8%	139 (15.0%)	147 (15.8%)	304 (32.7%)	301 (32.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (3.8%)	$9,064							99.4%	99.1%	0.33%			482364002483
9	School Of Science And Engineering	Public, Magnet	9-12	1201 E Eighth St	Dallas	75203	Dallas County	Dallas Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(972) 925-5960	505	26	19.4	65.3%	53 (10.5%)	37 (7.3%)	357 (70.7%)	47 (9.3%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.4%)	$8,154							99.4%	99.9%	0.42%			481623003641