Best Public Schools in Zip Code 78253

Zip code 78253 in San Antonio, Texas, is home to 21 schools serving elementary through high school grades, primarily within the Northside Independent School District (Isd), with additional options from Medina Valley Independent School District (Isd) and several charter networks.

For parents, the standout high school is Harlan High School, which leads the area with a 4-star rating and the highest proficiency in English II Reading (73.56%) and Biology (78.75%). Among middle schools, Bernal Middle excels with a 4-star rating and an exceptional 93.36% Algebra I proficiency rate, far exceeding district and state averages. At the elementary level, Cole Elementary is the top performer with a 77th percentile rank and strong scores in 5th Grade Reading (69.16%) and Math (57.41%). The charter Sst Northwest also stands out, part of the high-performing School Of Science And Technology Discovery district, with 7th Grade Reading proficiency at 77.78%. In contrast, Legacy Traditional School - Alamo Ranch is the lowest-ranked school despite having the highest per-student spending ($15,008).

Key metrics show all three high schools—Brennan High School, Harlan, and Taft High School—boast graduation rates above 98%, well above the district average. Economic disadvantage varies widely, from 24.47% at Briscoe Middle to 58.25% at Ott Elementary. A notable finding is the "Algebra I anomaly" where middle schools like Bernal, Briscoe, and Medina Valley Loma Alta Middle achieve over 93% Algebra I proficiency, even as general math scores lag. Additionally, Galm Elementary showed the most improvement, jumping 16 percentile points to the 72nd rank, while a systemic "science gap" persists in elementary schools, with 5th Grade Science proficiency often below the state average of 29.57%.