Lone Star Ribbon Schools

Celebrating Excellence in Texas Public Education

The Lone Star Ribbon Schools program honors Texas public schools for outstanding academic performance and meaningful progress in closing achievement gaps. Established by Governor Greg Abbott in 2025, it replaces the federal National Blue Ribbon Schools program, which transitioned to state leadership in August 2025.

Recognized campuses:

• Achieve at the highest levels in Reading and Mathematics
• Excel across student groups
• Demonstrate measurable improvement in achievement gaps

Nomination Criteria:

Schools are selected for the Lone Star Ribbon Schools Program each year through a rigorous quantitative process that identifies campuses demonstrating exceptional academic achievement or significant success in closing achievement gaps among historically underserved student groups. Eligible campuses must meet high standards for academic performance, including earning an overall A rating, maintaining strong ratings across accountability domains, and demonstrating consistent student success on state assessments. 

Schools must also meet requirements related to campus stability, enrollment, accountability, safety, testing integrity, civil rights compliance, and special education compliance. Eligible campuses are ranked using state assessment data, with additional measures such as graduation rates and college, career, and military readiness outcomes considered for high schools. For the Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing category, campuses are evaluated on their success in reducing performance gaps between underserved student groups and statewide student performance over time. 

Final nominations are based on these rankings and the application of all eligibility and exclusion criteria to ensure recognized schools exemplify excellence, equity, and sustained student achievement. There is no proactive application process for selection as a Lone Star Ribbon School. For more information about the methodology used to rank schools, reach out to the Lone Star Ribbon Schools Liaison. 

2025 Honorees

The following 26 public schools are recognized as 2025 Texas Lone Star Schools:

• Barbers Hill ISD – Barbers Hill Elementary North
• Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD – Kent Elementary
• Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD – Rosemeade Elementary
• George West ISD – George West Primary School
• Harmony Public Schools (Houston West) – Harmony Science Academy – Katy
• Harmony Public Schools (Houston West) – Harmony Science Academy – Sugar Land
• Harmony Public Schools (North Texas) – Harmony Science Academy – Euless
• Houston ISD – Carnegie Vanguard High School
• Houston ISD – Project Chrysalis Middle School
• Houston ISD – Thompson Elementary
• Hunt ISD – Hunt School
• La Joya ISD – Diaz-Villarreal Elementary
• Lamar CISD – Meyer Elementary
• Laredo ISD – Daiches Elementary
• Laredo ISD – D D Hachar Elementary
• Laredo ISD – Macdonell Elementary
• Mumford ISD - Mumford Elementary
• Palo Pinto ISD – Palo Pinto Elementary
• Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD – PJSA Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School
• Roma ISD – Delia Gonzalez Garcia Elementary
• Roma ISD – RT Barrera Elementary
• Sharyland ISD – Harry Shimotsu Elementary
• Tidehaven ISD – Markham Elementary
• Tyler ISD – Tyler ISD Early College High School
• Whitehouse ISD – Stanton-Smith Elementary
• Wylie ISD – Dodd Elementary

Press Release

Governor Abbott Announces Inaugural Lone Star Ribbon Schools (September 29, 2025)