Twenty Dallas-Fort Worth elementary and middle schools are being hailed as the most brilliant beacons of Texas early education in U.S. News and World Report's new list ranking the best K-8 schools for 2027.

One exemplary Fort Worth ISD school, Overton Park Elementary, leads the way as the No. 1 best elementary school in the district and is ranked 22nd statewide.

U.S. News' annual Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings analyzed over 70,000 public schools on the state and district level using publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on students' proficiency in mathematics and reading while accounting "for student background and absolute performance on state assessments." To break ties in overall scores, schools with a lower student-teacher ratio prevailed.

"By incorporating direct state data across all proficiency levels, the 2027 rankings offer a richer, more complete picture of how elementary and middle schools are driving student growth," said Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis. "This refined approach gives families, educators and community leaders an even clearer view of academic achievement, helping them identify standard-setting schools and support continued success for all students."

Overton Park Elementary's ranking is an 11-place drop from it's former rank as No. 11 last year, but its students still perform exceptionally well in math and reading.

"At Overton Park Elementary, 89 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 94 percent scored at or above that level for reading," the school's profile said. "Compared with the district, the school did better in math and better in reading, according to this metric. In Fort Worth ISD, 36 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 34 percent tested at or above that level for math."

Across the Metroplex, two Dallas ISD schools — Sudie L. Williams Talented and Gifted Academy and William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted — ranked among the statewide top 10 elementary schools for 2027. Sudie Tag ranked No. 2 statewide in a three-spot jump from its former rank as No. 5 the year before. Travis TAG ranked as the No. 5 best elementary school in Texas this year, down one spot from it's No. 4 rank last year, and it ranked No. 2 among the best Texas middle schools.

Grand Prairie ISD's School for the Highly Gifted made a stunning debut onto the 2027 list as the No. 1 best charter elementary and middle school in Texas, and simultaneously ranked as the No. 3 best elementary and middle school in Texas overall. It was unranked across all categories last year.

Beverly Cheatham Elementary in Allen ISD skyrocketed into the statewide top 25 this year after ranking 287th last year. It claimed the No. 25 spot, surpassing Carroll ISD's Old Union Elementary into No. 26 in an eight-place demotion from last year's standing.

The other Dallas-Fort Worth schools that appeared among the top 25 best elementary schools in Texas include:

• No. 12 – Robert H. Rockenbaugh Elementary, Carroll ISD (up from No. 17 last year)
• No. 17 – Talley Elementary, Frisco ISD (up from No. 72 last year)
• No. 18 – Wyatt Elementary, Plano ISD (up from No. 72 last year)
• No. 23 – Bradfield Elementary, Dallas ISD (unranked last year)
• No. 24 – Kimberlin Academy for Excellence, Garland ISD (up from No. 44 last year)

• No. 11 – George B. Dealey Montessori Academy, Dallas (up from No. 16 last year)
• No. 12 – Rice Middle School, Plano ISD (up from No. 17 last year)
• No. 14 – School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove, Dallas ISD (down from No. 6 last year)
• No. 16 – Nelson Middle School, Frisco ISD (down from No. 15 last year)
• No. 20 – Irma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School, Dallas ISD (up from No. 47 last year)
• No. 21 – Coppell Middle School West, Coppell ISD (up from No. 48 last year)
• No. 22 – Trinity Heights Gifted and Talented School, Dallas ISD (up from No. 50 last year)