Public education in Texas runs on local school districts, not on cities or counties. Our directory lists 10,291 public school campuses across the state, from large high schools in Houston to small elementary schools far from any interstate. Knowing who runs a campus saves time. Almost every enrollment, zoning, or discipline question is answered by the district that serves your address.

Who Governs Public Schools in Texas

The Texas Education Agency (TEA), headquartered in Austin, administers state education law under the Texas Education Code. The commissioner of education, who is appointed by the governor, leads the agency. TEA runs the statewide testing program, publishes annual A-F accountability ratings, and authorizes open-enrollment charter schools.

The State Board of Education (SBOE) has 15 elected members. It adopts the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the curriculum standards that districts must teach, and it approves instructional materials. It does not hire teachers or run campuses.

Day-to-day control sits with the locally elected board of trustees of each independent school district (ISD). Trustees, usually seven or nine of them, hire the superintendent, adopt the budget, and set the local property tax rate. Voters decide bond elections for new buildings. That is why a booming suburban district may open several campuses while a shrinking rural one closes a school.

Texas also has 20 regional education service centers. They do not govern districts, but they train teachers, support special education, and help small districts share services. If your district is tiny and has no full-time specialist, the service center for your region is often where the help comes from.

Money follows the same local-state split. Districts raise most operating funds from local property taxes, supplemented by state aid and federal programs. Under the state's recapture system, often called "Robin Hood," property-wealthy districts send part of their local revenue back to the state to be shared. Tax rates and per-student resources still differ from one district to the next.

Here is which office handles which problem:

How Public Schools Differ From Houston to the Panhandle

Texas is large enough that "public school" means different things in different places. In Houston our database holds 852 listings, and Harris County as a whole has 1,262, spread across many separate districts. A family that moves a few miles can end up under a different board, calendar, and tax rate.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has the same patchwork. Dallas County and Tarrant County together hold well over a thousand of our listings, and names can mislead. Arlington Heights High School sits at 4501 West Freeway in Fort Worth, not in the city of Arlington. Barnett Junior High School, at 2101 East Sublett Road, is in Arlington. Austin Middle is at 825 East Union Bower Road in Irving, and Anderson Elementary School is at 2800 Oakland Hills Drive in Plano. Confirm the city and street address before you drive over.

San Antonio, with 524 listings, anchors Bexar County. Campuses such as Abraham Kazen Middle on Gillette Boulevard belong to one of several districts inside the same city limits. In the Rio Grande Valley you will find Economedes High School in Edinburg, Bryan Elementary School in Mission, Allen & William Arnold Elementary School in Pharr, and Aiken Elementary School in Brownsville. Border cities such as Laredo and El Paso serve many bilingual families, and many of their campuses offer English-language support and dual-language classes.

West Texas and the Panhandle look different again. Lubbock has campuses like Alderson Elementary School on Walnut Avenue, and Amarillo has Bowie 6th Grade Campus on Tee Anchor Boulevard in Potter County. Abilene, in Taylor County, appears with listings such as Abilene Behavioral Health. In small rural towns, one district may run a single campus serving kindergarten through twelfth grade. Bus rides can be long, and the district may be the largest employer in town.

Enrolling a Child in a Texas Public School

Texas law requires children to attend school from age 6 until they turn 19, unless they graduate or qualify for an exemption. A child must be five years old on or before September 1 to enter kindergarten. Public school is tuition-free. Districts must also offer pre-K to eligible four-year-olds, including children who are low-income, English learners, homeless, in foster care, or from military families.

Districts generally ask for proof of residence, such as a lease or utility bill, plus the child's birth certificate or another proof of identity. They also want immunization records and any records from the previous school. Immunization rules come from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Bring your own photo ID as well.

A district cannot deny enrollment because of a child's immigration status. That rule comes from the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, which began in Texas. Students experiencing homelessness can enroll right away under federal law while paperwork is gathered, and every district names a liaison to help.

At registration you will also fill out a home language survey. If it shows a language other than English, the school assesses the child, and a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee decides what support services fit.

Reading the Texas Listings: Neighborhood, Charter, and Program Campuses

Not every listing is an ordinary zoned neighborhood school. Open-enrollment charter operators, such as Harmony School of Business - Dallas at 8080 West President George Bush Highway and Advantage Academy at 300 West Pioneer Parkway in Grand Prairie, are public and tuition-free. They admit students by application, and by lottery when seats run short, rather than by home address. Names like About Face Program Elementary School in El Paso or A+ Unlimited Potential in Houston point to specific programs. Call first and ask who can enroll, what the hours are, and what the visitor rules say.

Most campuses require visitors to check in at the front office with a photo ID. Registration is busiest in late July and August. State law sets a default start date no earlier than the fourth Monday in August, but many districts hold exceptions as districts of innovation. Check the posted calendar rather than assuming.

A practical order of operations works well. Find the district that covers your address. Confirm the attendance zone for each grade level. Call the campus to ask about registration hours. Gather your documents, register early, and then mark the first day, early-release days, and holidays on your own calendar.

Public schools in Texas are operated by independent school districts governed by locally elected boards and overseen by the Texas Department of Education, which sets academic standards, graduation requirements, and accountability frameworks for all public schools in the state. Texas distributes state funding to districts through a formula that accounts for student enrollment, local property wealth, and special population needs.

Public Schools locations are available in 1091 cities across Texas. They are spread across 253 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of public schools include Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, reflecting larger urban populations with extensive school district networks serving tens of thousands of students across many campuses.

Families new to Texas should contact their local school district's enrollment office to determine their assigned school, learn about available school choice programs, and understand immunization and residency documentation requirements before the start of the school year.

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Parents and guardians in Texas can find their assigned public school by entering their home address on the local school district's website. Enrollment documentation requirements in Texas typically include proof of residency, birth certificate, and current immunization records, so gathering these materials before the enrollment window opens can prevent delays.

Browse Public Schools by county across Texas to find the nearest location.

Finding Your Campus, Calendar, and Records in Texas

Start with the district, not the campus. Search your street address on the district website or call its enrollment office, and ask for the attendance zone at each grade level. Elementary, middle, and high school boundaries rarely match. In large counties, neighboring streets can sit in different districts, and a campus with a familiar name may belong to a district you did not expect.

Each board of trustees adopts its own academic calendar, so start dates, holidays, and early-release days vary even between neighbors. State law sets minimum instructional time, and districts schedule around it. Suburban Collin County shows how fast this changes: Christie Elementary School in Frisco and C T Eddins Elementary School in McKinney sit in a county where new campuses and revised zones appear often. Elsewhere, Alta Vista Elementary School in Waco, Abbett Elementary School in Garland, and Benignus Elementary School in Spring each answer to a different district office.

For records, ask the campus registrar for report cards and transcripts. Under the federal FERPA law, parents can inspect their child's education records and request corrections. TEA publishes yearly performance reports for each campus and district.

Texas Public Schools: Common Questions

A child must be five years old on or before September 1 of the school year to enroll in kindergarten, and six by that date for first grade. Compulsory attendance under the Texas Education Code runs from age six until the student's 19th birthday, with limited exceptions such as graduation or a recognized exemption. Pre-K is separate. Districts must offer it to eligible four-year-olds, including English learners, low-income children, homeless children, foster youth, and military families. Ask the enrollment office what proves eligibility, because the pre-K application is often handled apart from regular registration.

Bring proof of residence inside the district, such as a lease, mortgage statement, or recent utility bill. Add the child's birth certificate or another accepted proof of identity, immunization records that meet Texas Department of State Health Services requirements, and your photo ID. Records from a previous school help place the child in the right grade. A district cannot refuse enrollment because of a child's immigration status. If something is missing, tell the registrar right away and ask what can be provided later. Requirements vary slightly by district, so call before you go.

Use the address lookup on your district's website if it has one, or call the district's student services office. Check every grade level, because zones differ for elementary, middle, and high school. One county can contain many districts, and a city name alone will not tell you which one applies. Our pages for Hidalgo County and El Paso County show campuses by city. If you are buying or renting because of school assignment, ask for the zone confirmation in writing, since boards can redraw boundaries.

TEA assigns A-F ratings to districts and campuses. The ratings draw mainly on student results on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), academic growth, and, for high schools, graduation rates and college, career, and military readiness. STAAR is given in grades 3 through 8, and high school students take end-of-course exams in subjects such as Algebra I, English I and II, Biology, and U.S. History. A rating is a snapshot that can change from year to year, so also visit the campus and ask the principal about programs and class sizes.

Sometimes. Many districts offer magnet, choice, or transfer options with application windows, often in winter or early spring. Moving to a different district generally needs approval from the receiving district, which can decline if it lacks space, and families usually handle transportation. Open-enrollment charter schools, such as Harmony School of Business - Dallas and Advantage Academy in Grand Prairie, are tuition-free public schools that admit by application and may hold a lottery. Each charter sets its own deadlines, so contact the school early.

Begin at the lowest level: the teacher, then the principal, then the district office, then the board of trustees, following the district's published complaint policy. For special education, request an ARD committee meeting in writing. That committee, which includes parents, develops the student's individualized education program. If a disagreement continues, parents have formal options through TEA, including complaints and due process hearings. Students with disabilities who do not need special education may qualify for accommodations under Section 504. Keep copies of emails and letters, and note the dates of phone calls.