Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 8,012, settled in 1873. Public schools that outperform most of Texas.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Van Alstyne grades A overall, 8th among Texas's 640 graded towns. The median household earns $102K. Its schools outperform 90% of the state's and it reports less crime per resident than 81% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $422K, 5.8 years of the Sherman metro’s $72K median household income. Only 36 of Texas’ 999 towns score higher on walkability. Umphress-Taylor House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Van Alstyne beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Bob and Lola Sanford El | PK–4 | 562 |
| John and Nelda Partin El | PK–4 | 483 |
| Van Alstyne Middle | 5–6 | 433 |
3,046 counted in 2010 and 4,369 in 2020; an estimated 8,012 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 82.2% since 2020, after 43.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Van Alstyne is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 213 in 1870, 4,369 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1961 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Van Alstyne, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Van Alstyne.
Van Alstyne has schools in the top 5% of Texas, fares better on crime within Texas than nationally and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of Texas.
Its A ranks #23 of the 642 Texas towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $422K.
Its public schools are run by Van Alstyne ISD. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Van Alstyne H S, with 729 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob and Lola Sanford ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 562 | A |
| Van Alstyne H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 729 | A+ |
| Van Alstyne J HTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 405 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
2.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Eula Umphress and Robert Hynds Park, at 22 acres.
| Van Alstyne | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eula Umphress and Robert Hynds Park | — | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Van Alstyne home is worth about $422,000, down 3.1% in a year, 42% above the Texas typical home. At $1,345 a month, Van Alstyne’s median rent is close to Texas’ towns ($1,206 a month) and above U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Van Alstyne | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 75% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,345 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 8.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 94% of Texas’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 8 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
At 4.2 per 1,000 residents, Van Alstyne’s property crime rate is where Texas’ towns sit at 10.7 and U.S. towns at 9.9. The violent crime rate in Van Alstyne is 1 per 1,000 residents.
| Van Alstyne | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its widest gap with Texas is no health insurance: 11.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 19.1% statewide.
Van Alstyne beats the Texas average on 10 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 12% of Van Alstyne adults report frequent physical distress.
| Van Alstyne | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Van Alstyne | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 11.3% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.5% | 19.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.4% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 857 in 2013 to 1,400. 27.1% of workers work from home, against 14.4% across Texas.
Most working residents leave Van Alstyne for work: only 4% work in town. Van Alstyne’s average trip to work is 31 minutes. Jobs based in Van Alstyne grew to 1,400 in 2023, 543 more than in 2013.
| Van Alstyne | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide); children under 18 are 31% of residents (25% statewide). 38% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Van Alstyne. Van Alstyne has grown 82% since 2020, to 8,012 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Van Alstyne | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 23% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 14% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.4 years | 35.8 years | 40.5 years |
56% women, 44% men
About 80 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.2 points). Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Van Alstyne | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.8% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17.3% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.7% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.9% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.9% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.4% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.2% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.5% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
July afternoons average 93.5°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 78% of Texas places with climate records; January nights average 33.7°.
Van Alstyne has mild winters and hot summers.
| Van Alstyne | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Van Alstyne; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Van Alstyne residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
Where Van Alstyne’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Van Alstyne grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #8 of 640 in Texas. It grades A− for health, A− for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.