Living in Plano, Texas

Plano is nationally recognized for its excellent public school system and is featured in our guide to Cities with the Topic Public Schools in the U.S.. The city is primarily served by Plano Independent School District (PISD), one of the largest and most respected in Texas. PISD schools consistently earn “A” ratings from Niche.com and the Texas Education Agency, thanks to strong academics, advanced placement programs, and extracurricular options ranging from robotics to fine arts.

The district’s three senior high schools — Plano Senior High, Plano West Senior High, and Plano East Senior High — are all highly ranked and known for competitive academic and athletic programs. Many Plano schools also offer International Baccalaureate (IB) and gifted/talented tracks, giving families a range of pathways for college preparation.

Parts of north and west Plano are also served by the Frisco ISD and Allen ISD, both of which are also top-rated districts in the Dallas–Fort Worth region. This overlap means families in Plano often have access to some of the best-performing schools in Texas.

Private school options include Prestonwood Christian Academy and Faith Lutheran School, offering additional choices for parents seeking smaller class sizes or faith-based education.

Quick Snapshot:

• Plano ISD rated “A+” on Niche.com.
• Graduation rate: ~96%.
• Student-teacher ratio: ~15:1.
• Multiple high schools ranked among the best in Texas.

For families, Plano’s strong schools are a major reason the city consistently lands on national “Best Places to Live” lists.

With the high number of headquarters already in Plano, plus more moving to the DFW area in the next few years, it’s only getting more crowded. Couple that with the pandemic’s rise in housing prices, and even a reasonably priced and populated city like Plano will boom! Move now while you can and watch Plano grow!

curvedyield
9mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

We were in your shoes 1 year ago (almost exactly it sounds like). We made the move and it’s been 10/10 choice - very happy we did. If you have kids and family in the area it’s hard to beat.

In my mind, the biggest knocks against it are:

summers are terrible/way too hot

good city parks, but in general very limited good nature nearby (no one @ me about these fake lakes you guys have in Texas - definitely does not count)

if suburbia would bother you, then not for you (personally love it for stage of life we are in now, but at a different time or for different personalities I could see how it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea).

Other than that, some things that surprised me (positively) vs my expectations:

had been visiting here for ~15-20 yrs before we moved, but I’ve really been noticing how clean it is vs anywhere else we’ve lived (mostly recently Boston suburbs). Not sure if that’s consensus opinion, but I run a lot and it’s not even close - really really clean vs anywhere else I’ve lived.

ppl are generally very friendly/neighborly

This place is stunningly pro construction/development (which I personally appreciate. The mayor joked about the orange traffic cone being the city flower of Plano and got applause. In the northeast or west coast they would 100% throw rotten fruit at you for that).

it feels/seems quite safe to me. The one exception would be driving. IMHO drivers here seem (overall), better than many cities, but there is a real road-rage vibe (& have seen a few incidents).

For more reviews of Plano from locals check out: The Reviews