OHS Wins U.S. News Award for 5th Straight Year

Olney High School has earned national recognition from U.S. News & World Report, ranking No. 1,873 among public high schools nationwide and No. 200 among Texas high schools for 2025-26.

The ranking places OHS among the top 11 percent of the 17,901 nationally ranked schools and the top 10 percent of the 2,040 Texas schools included in the U.S. News analysis. Olney High School received an overall score of 89.54 out of 100 and qualified to display the publication’s Best High Schools award badge. OHS has received the U.S. News & World Report honor every year since the 2020-21 school year, with the most recent award showing the highest ranking, Olney ISD Superintendent Dr. Matt Caffey said.

For Dr. Caffey, the recognition also reflects years of work at the campus, where he served as principal before becoming superintendent in 2025.

“Olney is blessed with staff who are committed to high standards and students who are willing to do hard things to prepare them for their future,” Dr. Caffey said. “The success that has led Olney to be ranked in the top 10 percent of high schools in Texas is due to a community that values education by supporting teachers and students in pursuit of high standards.”

He added that his experience as an educator in other communities has shown him “that in many communities, parents and students want elite grades, but not necessarily an elite education that challenges students.”

“After being in Olney for ten years, I know that our families value hard work and recognize that most things that are worth having require hard work,” he said. “That really is the root cause of the high achievement of our students, which leads to these types of honors.”

The U.S. News rankings evaluate schools using measures of college readiness, college-level curriculum, state assessment proficiency and performance, as well as outcomes for underserved students and graduation rates.

OHS performed particularly well in college readiness. The school had a College Readiness Index score of 43.4 out of 100, ranking No. 1,915 nationally and No. 220 in Texas in that category.

Seventy-six percent of OHS students took at least one Advanced Placement examination, while 32 percent passed at least one AP exam. The school ranked No. 2,885 nationally and tied for No. 280 in Texas for the breadth of its college-level curriculum.

Olney students also performed well on state-required assessments. U.S. News reported that 66 percent of students were proficient in mathematics, compared with 40 percent statewide. In reading, 78 percent of OHS students were proficient, compared with 60 percent across Texas.

The school ranked No. 4,279 nationally and No. 377 in Texas for overall state assessment proficiency. Its state assessment performance ranking—which considers whether students performed better than expected based on the school’s demographic and economic profile—was considerably higher at No. 2,110 nationally and No. 185 in Texas.

That measure is significant because 67 percent of OHS students are classified as economically disadvantaged. Sixty percent participate in the free-lunch program, and another 7 percent qualify for reduced-price lunches.

OHS Principal Haylee Haralson said the high school’s success reflects “true teamwork.”

“Our high rating reflects the dedication of teachers who go above and beyond, students who work hard to reach their goals, staff who support learning in every way, and parents and community members who stand behind our schools,” she said. “When everyone works together toward a shared vision, great things happen for our students.”

U.S. News reviewed more than 24,000 public high schools and ranked 17,901 that met its criteria.