When families relocate to the Austin area, school district ratings often drive the decision more than home price, lot size, or even commute. Dripping Springs ISD consistently ranks as one of the top school districts in all of Central Texas, and for good reason. The district pairs strong academic outcomes with the kind of small-town culture that’s increasingly hard to find as the Austin metro grows.
This guide breaks down what the Dripping Springs ISD rating actually means, how the district compares to its peers, and what’s behind the consistently high marks.
How Texas Rates Its School Districts
Texas Education Agency (TEA) issues annual A-F accountability ratings for every district and campus in the state. The rating reflects three weighted components:
A rating of A means the district scored 90 or above on its overall composite. In a state with more than 1,200 school districts, an A rating is a meaningful distinction. Roughly 25 to 30 percent of Texas districts earn an A in any given year.
Dripping Springs ISD’s Current Rating
A
TEA Rating
Dripping Springs ISD has earned an A rating from TEA in every year the rating system has been in place, with overall composite scores consistently in the low-to-mid 90s. Every campus in the district has earned an A or high B rating in recent rating cycles.
That kind of consistency matters. A single A rating can reflect a strong cohort or a favorable testing year. Sustained A ratings across a decade reflect the district itself: leadership, teaching, curriculum, and culture.
What the Test Scores Look Like
Beyond the headline letter grade, the underlying numbers tell a clearer story.
STAAR Performance
Dripping Springs ISD students consistently score above state averages on STAAR exams across grade levels and subjects. In recent reporting cycles, the district has shown:
- Reading: Pass rates and “meets grade level” rates well above the state average across elementary, middle, and high school
- Math: Strong performance with particular strength at the elementary level
- Science: Above-state-average performance in 5th, 8th, and end-of-course Biology
- Social Studies: Consistent above-average performance on 8th grade and end-of-course US History
Importantly, the gaps between student groups (economically disadvantaged students, special education, English learners) are smaller in DSISD than in many high-performing peer districts, which is why the district scores well on the “Closing the Gaps” component.
College Readiness
Dripping Springs High School consistently posts above-state-average results on SAT and ACT scores, AP exam pass rates, and graduation rates (typically 97 to 99 percent). A meaningful share of graduates enter four-year universities, and the district’s College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) composite ranks in the top tier of Central Texas districts.
How Dripping Springs ISD Compares to Peer Districts
Most Austin-area families shopping for top-rated school districts compare a small handful of options. Here’s how Dripping Springs ISD stacks up:
Dripping Springs sits at the intersection of two things that very few other Texas districts offer simultaneously: an A-rated academic profile and genuine small-town scale. Eanes is the most academically comparable peer, but Eanes is also the most expensive entry point in the metro. For families coming from out of state who want top schools without metro-density living, Dripping Springs is often the closest match to what they had in mind.
What Actually Drives the Dripping Springs ISD Rating
Letter grades come from numbers, but numbers come from people and decisions. Five things consistently surface when you ask why Dripping Springs ISD performs the way it does.
1. Class Size
Dripping Springs maintains lower student-to-teacher ratios than the state average and lower than most peer A-rated districts in the Austin area. Smaller classes in elementary grades, especially K through 3, correlate with better reading outcomes and stronger long-term academic performance.
2. Teacher Retention
Teacher retention is one of the strongest predictors of district performance, and Dripping Springs consistently retains teachers at a rate above the state average. The district pays competitively for the area, and the small-town culture is genuinely a draw for educators.
3. Community Investment
Dripping Springs voters have approved bond packages that have funded new campuses, renovations, athletic facilities, and technology refreshes. Recent bond projects have included expansions at the elementary and middle school levels to absorb the district’s enrollment growth.
4. Programs Beyond the Tested Subjects
Strong test scores get the headline rating, but Dripping Springs has invested heavily in programs that don’t show up directly on STAAR:
- Fine arts: Band, orchestra, choir, theater, and visual arts programs that consistently earn UIL recognition
- Athletics: Strong UIL programs across boys’ and girls’ sports, with multiple state-level finishes in recent years
- CTE (Career and Technical Education): Pathways in agriculture, engineering, health science, business, and culinary arts
- Dual credit and AP: A robust AP catalog and dual credit partnerships with Austin Community College
5. Culture and Engagement
The intangibles matter. Parents in Dripping Springs are unusually engaged. Booster clubs, volunteer programs, and community events around the schools all reflect a culture where school is the center of family life. That engagement compounds over years.
Schools in Dripping Springs ISD
The district currently operates the following campuses, with additional schools in the planning pipeline as enrollment grows:
Elementary (K-5)
- Dripping Springs Elementary
- Walnut Springs Elementary
- Rooster Springs Elementary
- Sycamore Springs Elementary
- Cypress Springs Elementary
Middle (6-8)
- Dripping Springs Middle School
- Sycamore Springs Middle School
High School (9-12)
- Dripping Springs High School
A Closer Look: Dripping Springs Elementary
Among the district’s elementary campuses, Dripping Springs Elementary holds a particular significance for families considering the western side of Dripping Springs. The campus sits adjacent to the Double L Ranch community footprint, which means families moving into that area are likely to find it their home campus.
The school’s origins are tied directly to the land that Double L Ranch now calls home. The Hill family donated the land on which the campus was built in the mid-1980s, and the school opened in 1987 as the first elementary school in Dripping Springs. In 2027, it will mark its 40th anniversary. That kind of generational investment in the community is part of what makes this corner of Dripping Springs different: the people behind the land here have always been building for the long term.
Dripping Springs Elementary reflects everything that makes the district’s elementary grades stand out: low student-to-teacher ratios, a culture of parent engagement, and the K–5 foundation that feeds directly into Dripping Springs Middle School and ultimately Dripping Springs High School. The campus serves as an anchor for the community growing around it, and its story is inseparable from the land Double L Ranch now occupies.
For families who are school-shopping at the campus level, not just the district level, Dripping Springs Elementary is worth a visit. DSISD holds open house events at individual campuses throughout the year, and the principal’s office can speak to current enrollment, class sizes, and program offerings for incoming families.
Why Families Relocate Specifically for Dripping Springs ISD
Three patterns repeat in conversations with families who’ve moved to the area:
Out-of-state relocations from California, Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest. These families often left top-rated schools in their home states. They’re not willing to downgrade. Dripping Springs ISD lets them keep the school standard while gaining everything else Texas offers.
In-state moves from Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio metros. Families who already live in Texas but want a different lifestyle. They want top schools, but they want them in a smaller community than what their current metro offers.
Local moves from inside the Austin metro. Families already in the Austin area who want to upgrade to an A-rated district without paying Westlake or Lake Travis prices. Dripping Springs has historically offered the best value among Austin’s top-tier districts on a price-per-square-foot basis.
The Growth Question
Dripping Springs ISD has been one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas for nearly a decade. Enrollment has more than doubled since 2010, and the district has consistently added new campuses and capacity to keep up.
Growth is the consideration to be honest about. Fast-growing districts face real challenges: redistricting, capacity constraints during transitions, and the work of maintaining culture as the district scales. Dripping Springs has handled this growth as well as any peer district in the region, but families relocating into the area should ask the district directly about projected enrollment and capacity for the specific campuses their kids will attend.
Where Double L Ranch Fits
Double L Ranch is a 1,677-acre master planned community taking shape on the western side of Dripping Springs, with full Dripping Springs ISD zoning. The community is set in rolling Hill Country terrain, with the views, privacy, and natural landscape that draw families to this part of Texas in the first place.
As the community comes online in 2026 and beyond, families moving to Double L Ranch will have access to one of the top-rated districts in Texas — and to Dripping Springs Elementary, the campus adjacent to the community. Families come for the schools. They stay because the rest of the picture is just as strong.