Creekside Forest Elementary in The Woodlands earned the No. 14 spot among nearly 4,800 ranked Texas elementary schools in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 Best Elementary Schools rankings, scoring 99.73 out of 100.

The Tomball ISD campus posted 92% proficiency in both math and reading on state assessments, according to the U.S. News profile. That far outpaced the district average of 69% in math and 73% in reading. Statewide, just 44% of students tested proficient in math and 51% in reading.

The school has 676 students and a 14:1 student-teacher ratio, lower than the Tomball ISD average. All 47 full-time teachers are certified, and 8% of students are classified as economically disadvantaged.

Creekside Forest opened in 2009 and is led by Principal Kaitlyn Wishkoski, who was named to the role in May. She previously served four years as the campus's assistant principal and is a Tomball High School graduate with more than 17 years in education, according to Tomball ISD.

When the district announced Wishkoski's appointment, Dr. George Flores, Tomball ISD assistant superintendent of elementary schools, said the district had "no doubt that Creekside Forest will continue to be one of the premier schools in the state of Texas with Ms. Wishkoski as Principal for many years to come."

No on-record statements from Wishkoski or the Tomball ISD superintendent specifically about the U.S. News ranking were available in public records as of publication.

The rankings, released Oct. 19, evaluated schools on four equally weighted factors: math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance. Half the formula measured raw scores. The other half factored in socioeconomic demographics. Rankings are calculated at the state level only, using 2023-2024 assessment data.

Nationally, U.S. News ranked about 46,700 elementary schools across all states.

Texas top 10 elementary schools (2027 U.S. News rankings):

  1. Spring Branch Academic Institute, Houston (100% math, 100% reading proficiency)
  2. Sudie L. Williams Talented and Gifted Academy, Dallas (95% math, 99% reading)
  3. School for the Highly Gifted, Grand Prairie (98% math, 99% reading)
  4. T.H. Rogers School, Houston (94% math, 98% reading)
  5. William B. Travis Vanguard Academy, Dallas (96% math, 100% reading)
  6. Hudson Elementary, Longview (97% math, 96% reading)
  7. Canyon Creek Elementary, Austin (90% math, 96% reading)
  8. Martha & Josh Morriss Math & Engineering Elementary, Texarkana (98% math, 95% reading)
  9. Cactus Ranch Elementary, Round Rock (94% math, 92% reading)
  10. Windsor Park G/T, Corpus Christi (92% math, 97% reading)