Highly rated elementary and secondary schools contribute to both quality of life and the exceptional labor pool. Austin area households enjoy diverse options in education, including 29 public school districts, 14 charter schools and 69 private schools.

Four of the metro's major public school systems, representing 54 percent of area enrollment, are included in Expansion Management magazine's latest annual education quality ratings of nearly 2,800 school districts nationwide. Two districts—Eanes and Round Rock—are rated "gold medal", the highest of the magazine's cost-performance categories. The Austin Independent School District, the largest in the region, as well as San Marcos, were awarded the “Green Light” rating, the middle performance category. Past ratings from the magazine have included Lake Travis as “Gold Medal” and Georgetown, Leander and Pflugerville as “Blue Ribbon” districts, and Bastrip as a "Green Light" district.

The University of Texas and seven other universities and colleges with a combined enrollment of nearly 116,000 provide an ample supply of well-educated workers to area employers. Within 200 miles of Austin, an additional 21 major colleges and universities enroll nearly 295,000 students. Over 40 percent of Austin area residents age 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree.

In addition, a dozen vocational-technical or career schools in the metro award associates degrees or certificates in business and computer-related programs, trades, engineering-related technologies, and health professions.