Texas Border Business
MERCEDES – Niche recently released its 2025 Best Schools K-12 School & District Rankings, and for the 11th year in a row, South Texas Independent School District (STISD) and its campuses rank among the best in the state and nation in this poll.
With an A+ overall grade, STISD ranked 2nd in Texas (out of 883 school districts ranked) and 27th in the nation (out of 10,561 districts ranked) in the Best School Districts rankings. STISD earned the top spot in the Districts with the Best Teachers in Texas category, and brought home the 4th spot for Best Places to Teach in Texas. STISD also ranked 9th out of 11,116 districts ranked in the Districts with the Best Teachers in America.
All six STISD campuses eligible for the ranking were ranked among the best in the state and nation in the 2025 Niche K-12 Schools lists, which grade and rank schools and districts based upon criteria ranging from academics to culture and teachers.
STISD’s two middle schools earned spots at the top in the Best Public Middle School Teachers in Texas and Best Public Middle Schools in Texas categories. South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy (Preparatory Academy) in Edinburg ranked fifth in the Best Public Middle Schools in Texas (out of 2,293 schools ranked) and second in Best Public Middle School Teachers in Texas (out of 2,033). South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy (Rising Scholars) in San Benito earned first place in the Best Public Middle School Teachers in Texas category and 13th in the Best Public Middle Schools in Texas. Both campuses received an A+ overall Niche grade. In the Best Public Middle School Teachers in America, Rising Scholars ranked 12th and Preparatory Academy ranked 19th out of 22,958 schools ranked. In the Best Public Middle Schools in America category, Preparatory Academy ranked 48th and Rising Scholars ranked 99th out of 26,130 schools ranked. In the Best Public Middle Schools in their respective counties – Hidalgo and Cameron – both campuses also claimed the number one spot.
All four STISD high schools also ranked among the top in the state and nation in the 2025 Best Public High Schools lists again this year. South Texas ISD Science Academy (Science Academy) in Mercedes ranked 6th in the state (out of 1,876) and 78th in the nation (out of 20,733), and received an A+ overall grade. The campus claimed first place in the Best Public High Schools in Hidalgo County. South Texas ISD Health Professions (Health Professions) in Mercedes ranked 119th in the state and 3rd in Hidalgo County, and received an A. South Texas ISD World Scholars (World Scholars) in Edinburg ranked 213th in the state, 5th in Hidalgo County, and received an A. South Texas ISD Medical Professions (Medical Professions) in Olmito ranked 228th in the state, 3rd in Best Public High Schools in Cameron County, and received an A.
Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D., superintendent of schools for South Texas ISD, shared his appreciation for the STISD community that contributed to the most recent rankings, saying, “I want to thank all members of our district community for their role in promoting student achievement and earning STISD and our campuses spots among the best in the state and nation in Niche throughout the past 11 years. This is a tremendous accomplishment that is only possible through collaboration and a belief in what we do. We look forward to many more years of providing middle and high school students of the Rio Grande Valley with our unique and impactful programs to prepare them for success in college, a career, and life.”
These are only a few of the categories by which Niche ranked campuses and districts. The following are links to access the detailed lists of district and campus rankings:
South Texas Independent School District:
South Texas ISD Preparatory Academy:
South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy:
South Texas ISD Health Professions:
South Texas ISD Medical Professions:
South Texas ISD Science Academy:
South Texas ISD World Scholars:
According to the company website, Niche has the most comprehensive data on U.S. K-12 schools, colleges, and places (neighborhoods, cities, ZIP codes, etc.). They rigorously analyze dozens of public data sets and over 100 million reviews and survey responses to help site visitors understand what a place is really like. Additional information on the methodology used for the grading and ranking is available on the Niche website here:
