U.S. News & World Report has recognized all five McAllen ISD high schools among its rankings of the “2022 Best Public High Schools.”

This is the eighth straight year McAllen ISD has had its high schools recognized by either U.S. News & World Report or The Washington Post. The McAllen ISD schools are Achieve Early College High School, McAllen Memorial High School, James “Nikki” Rowe High, McAllen High School and Lamar Academy.

Achieve Early College High, a two-time national Blue Ribbon Award winner including 2021, is ranked in the top 50 (No. 48) of 1,992 high schools in Texas. That places them in the top 2.5 percent in the state. In the nation, they come in at No. 278.

“This reflects a true team effort,” McAllen ISD Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez said. “It is great to see the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers and staff be recognized on a national stage. I want to thank all our parents for making McAllen ISD their district of choice and our Board of Trustees for their support and leadership. It speaks to the resilience of our community that, despite the challenges presented by a global pandemic, all five schools continued to grind and push on for the sake of our children.”

The top-ranked schools have a high rate of students who scored above expectations in math and reading state assessments. They also passed an array of college-level exams and graduated in four years.

About The Rankings

The U.S. News High School Rankings include data on nearly 24,000 public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to traditional high schools, the rankings encompass charter and magnet plus STEM-focused schools.  Nearly 17,900 schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.