Schools in San Marcos
San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District (San Marcos CISD), the district serving most of the city, received a 'C' overall rating from the Texas Education Agency for 2025-26, scoring 76 of 100 possible points -- a rating that has held steady from the same 'C' and 76-point score the district received the prior year, alongside real, documented gains in campus-level distinctions.
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreDistrict Grade: A Steady C, With Real Distinction Gains Underneath
San Marcos CISD received a 'C' overall rating from the TEA for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, scoring 76 of 100 points, per Community Impact and other Central Texas news coverage reviewed August 2026. The district was among 11 of 37 Central Texas districts to receive an overall 'C' rating in the 2025-26 cycle (regional context: 5 districts received an 'A', 18 a 'B', 11 a 'C', and 3 a 'D', per KVUE's regional summary). Underneath that steady district-level grade, San Marcos CISD's individual campuses have shown real improvement: the district earned 36 TEA distinctions for academic performance gains in 2024-25, roughly triple the 12 distinctions its campuses earned the prior year.
Not Hays CISD -- A Different District Serving Nearby Suburbs
San Marcos itself is served by San Marcos CISD, distinct from Hays CISD, which serves neighboring Buda and Kyle (see the base record for those cities) and maintained a 'B' streak in the 2025-26 TEA ratings. Anyone comparing school quality across the broader Austin-San Antonio corridor should not conflate the two districts -- a family looking specifically at San Marcos should evaluate San Marcos CISD's rating and individual campus data, not Hays CISD's.
For a Specific Address
A district-level 'C' rating, even a steady and recently improving one, does not describe every individual campus evenly -- as documented for Austin ISD, district-wide ratings in Texas commonly mask real school-to-school variation. Check the individual school(s) assigned to a specific San Marcos address via TEA's TXschools.gov accountability database or GreatSchools before making a relocation or purchase decision; no campus-level breakdown for San Marcos CISD specifically was confirmed to the same standard as the district-wide figures in this research pass.
Key takeaways
- San Marcos CISD received a 'C' overall TEA rating for both 2024-25 and 2025-26, scoring 76 of 100 points both years -- a steady, not-yet-improving district-level grade.
- The district earned 36 TEA distinctions for academic performance gains in 2024-25, roughly triple the 12 distinctions earned the prior year -- real campus-level progress underneath the steady district grade.
- San Marcos is served by San Marcos CISD, a separate district from Hays CISD (which serves nearby Buda and Kyle and holds a 'B' streak) -- do not conflate the two when comparing school quality.
- Check TEA's TXschools.gov database or GreatSchools for the specific school(s) assigned to any target San Marcos address -- no campus-level rating breakdown for San Marcos CISD was confirmed in this research pass.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceRead the full San Marcos overview for the complete picture -- housing, taxes, climate, and who this place genuinely fits.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert