The Austin ISD has numerous high performing schools with a few, like the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Harmony Science Academy and Anderson High School, receiving national acclaim. The Austin ISD as a whole is one of the lesser performing Austin Area School Districts, but has some top rated schools within the district like Bowie High School, Austin High School and Anderson High. If you’re looking for great schools in the Austin ISD, those would be the three districts to check first. The Austin ISD is the largest school district in Austin with 125 schools and 78,000 students. The sheer size of the district is one of the contributing factors in the lower rating.
Health of Austin ISD Forcing Families Further Out
Even though Austin ISD has the most poorly performing schools in the area, they also boast the most highly rated schools than any other district. With the size of the Austin ISD, the highly rated schools intermixed with lower performing schools, recent news of budgetary constraints and threat of school closings, a lot of families are looking into smaller, better performing districts outside the Austin city limits.
Highest Rated School Districts Around Austin
Not only do these smaller school districts offer highly performing schools, smaller classrooms and financially stronger districts, home prices are more affordable than homes within the boundaries of the well performing Austin schools. These benefits are hard to overlook and has prompted an influx of people to these fast growing suburbs of Austin. If you’re looking for options outside of Austin, here are the best school districts around Austin. Some districts, like Dripping Springs, Leander, Pflugerville and Round Rock overlap to the city limits.
#1 Dripping Springs ISD – #65 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Southwest Austin, Dripping Springs, Driftwood
- Distance to Downtown: 24.5 miles, 30-45 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 28.2 miles, 30-40 minutes
- Average Price:$941,816
- Median Price: $814,000
- Price Range: Mid $200k’s – $4.5MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 4/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,975
Drippings Springs is located just 24 miles southwest of Downtown Austin. With a population of around 8,327 (2022) but growing fast and only 87 schools in the district, the community still holds a small town feel. The Dripping Springs ISD is the top rated school district outside Austin and is very well liked by parents and students.
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#2: Wimberley ISD – #109 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Wimberley
- Distance to Downtown: 38 miles, 50-60 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 41 miles, 50 minutes
- Average Price: $721,878
- Median Price: $525,000
- Price Range: Mid $100k’s – $5.7MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 3/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,178
The Wimberley ISD is located in the city of Wimberley, TX which located 45 minutes southwest of Downtown Austin. Wimberley is the epitome of small town Texas Hill Country and attracts tourists and residents looking for a slower pace of life. With only four schools, kids in the Wimberley ISD get personalized attention and a sense of community.
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#3: Liberty Hill ISD – #159 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Liberty Hill
- Distance to Downtown: 36 miles, 40-50 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 42 miles, 40-50 minutes
- Average Price: $569,533
- Median Price: $502,050
- Price Range: High $100k’s – $2.35MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 4/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,431
Located only 35 minutes northwest of Downtown Austin, the Liberty Hill ISD is one of Austin’s best kept secrets. With only 8 campuses, the district is small, but very well regarded by parents and rankings. The district serves the western section of Georgetown and Liberty Hill. Much of the 100 square mile district is rural, but there are a few master planned communities, with more on the horizon.
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#4: Leander ISD – #241 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Northwest Austin, Cedar Park, Leander
- Distance to Downtown: 20 miles, 24 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 26.7 miles, 30 minutes
- Average Price: $640,085
- Median Price: $535,000
- Price Range: Low $100k’s – $11.65MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 4/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,472
The Leander Independent School District is located in Northwest Austin with a small part of the district in Travis County and the majority in Williamson County. One of the fastest growing school districts, the Leander ISD has 45 campuses serving approximately 42,000 students. Leander ISD was one of 373 school districts in the US and Canada being named to the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll.
Leander ISD Focuses on 3 Key Elements
- Continually improving world-class curriculum
- Teaching and modeling ethical behavior
- Encouraging parent and community involvement
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#5 Round Rock ISD – #306 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Northwest Austin, Cedar Park, Round Rock
- Distance to Downtown: 19 miles, 20 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 24.4 miles, 24 minutes
- Average Price: $588,287
- Median Price: $530,234
- Price Range: High $100k’s – $2.35MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 4/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,335
The Round Rock ISD, is the largest school district outside of Austin. The district serves approximately 51,000 students with 55 schools. Round Rock ISD has 4 schools rated 10/10 on GreatSchools.net, 6 schools rated 9/10, 6 schools rated 8/10 and 10 schools rated 7/10. Round Rock’s Westwood High School is one of the best performing schools in the area and has made Newsweek’s Annual Best High Schools in America List at number 47 in the country.
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#6: Hutto ISD – #482 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Hutto, Eastern Round Rock
- Distance to Downtown: 27 miles, 28-40 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 29 miles, 28-35 minutes
- Average Price: $428,801
- Median Price: $407,150
- Price Range: Low $200k’s – $1.4MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 4/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,108
The Hutto ISD has 11 schools and serves just over 8,000 students. The district has been one of the fastest improving districts in the area. It’s also one of the districts that has the most open land to build new neighborhoods, so we would anticipate the district will only expand.
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#7 Pflugerville ISD – #524 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Pflugerville, Northeast Austin
- Distance to Downtown: 17.7 miles, 22 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 24 miles, 24 minutes
- Average Price: $479,972
- Median Price: $460,000
- Price Range: Mid $200k’s – $1.85MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 4/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,153
The Pflugerville ISD has over 25,000 students enrolled in 32 campuses. Enrollment is expected to double over the next 10 years with projections of over 40,000 students. Pflugerville ISD encompasses 95 square miles and serves Pflugerville, parts of Austin, Coupland, Manor and Round Rock.
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#8 Hays CISD – #534 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Buda, Kyle, Southwest Austin, Driftwood
- Distance to Downtown: 22.7 miles, 26 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 32.8 miles, 24 minutes
- Average Price: $422,105
- Median Price: $385,000
- Price Range: Mid $100k’s – $5.5MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 4/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,042
The Hays CISD is another one of Austin’s fastest growing districts and serves Buda and Kyle. Buda is predicted to have a population boom and grow over 200% in the next decade. As more and more people move to Buda and Kyle versus the northern suburbs, this school district is poised to be one of the areas top performing districts.
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#9: Georgetown ISD – #552 School District in Texas
- Area of Town: Georgetown, Northern Round Rock
- Distance to Downtown: 28 miles, 28 minutes
- Distance to Austin Airport: 33.3 miles, 35 minutes
- Average Price: $528,251
- Median Price: $469,000
- Price Range: Low $200k’s – $4.25MM
- Average Beds/Bath: 3/3
- Average Square Feet: 2,266
The Georgetown ISD is a medium size school district that serves Georgetown and parts of Liberty Hill and Round Rock. As Georgetown moves away from being a retirement community to an area that attracts families, the schools have improved tremendously. For those looking for a little bit more space and a cute Downtown district, Georgetown is the ideal place to be.
Georgetown ISD Homes for Sale
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This post was based on information gathered from SchoolDigger.com and each district’s website as of May 2022. Average and Median Price and Size Data comes from ACTRIS closed sales 5/14/2021-5/13/2022.
Need to Be Closer to Town?
If you need to live closer to Austin, there are several great schools you can choose from. Check out these resources:
- Top 3 School Districts in Austin
- Top Elementary Schools in Austin
- Top Middle Schools in Austin
- Best Austin Area High Schools
Buying a Home in a Top High School District? We Can Help
We’ve helped many buyers just like you find the right home in the right neighborhood for their families! We take the time to help buyers understand the home buying process, point out potential resale difficulties and faults of a property and negotiate favorable deals. And, we can help you too! Visit our Austin Home Buyer information page and then call us at (512) 827-8323 or email us at info@11OaksRealty.com to schedule a no obligation and find out if we’re a good match.
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