47 cosmetology schools and 24 barber schools in the Houston area, ranked by real 2026 Texas licensing exam outcomes — not just a pass rate, but how well each school prepares students to pass on their first try.
Score = 50% written pass rate + 25% first-attempt success rate + 15% practical pass rate + 10% accreditation bonus, using each school's 2026 available data (missing components are excluded rather than scored as zero). Schools need at least 5 2026 written test-takers to be ranked — fewer than that, and one lucky or unlucky result could swing a percentage wildly.
| Rank | School | Tuition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illumination Barber School LLC Houston 4.4 | 86 | 97% | 96% | 91% | 1.1 | 33 | — |
| 2 | Houston Barber School Houston Accredited 4.1 | 79 | 76% | 91% | 70% | 1.1 | 94 | $14,000 |
| 3 | Epic Barber College Houston Accredited 4.8 | 64 | 63% | 80% | 44% | 1.9 | 16 | $10,189 |
| 4 | Trend Barber College Houston Accredited 4.4 | 64 | 61% | 100% | 33% | 1.6 | 18 | $13,600 |
| 5 | Universal Barbering Of Houston Houston Accredited 4.6 | 63 | 50% | 100% | 50% | 1.0 | 8 | — |
| 6 | Latinos Barber School LLC Houston 4.4 | 62 | 63% | 100% | 63% | 1.0 | 8 | — |
| 7 | Barber Life Academy Houston Accredited 4.9 | 58 | 44% | 100% | 44% | 1.0 | 9 | — |
| 8 | Premier Barber School Houston Accredited 4.7 | 57 | 50% | 83% | 40% | 1.2 | 10 | $12,685 |
| 9 | Career Schools Of Texas Houston 4.5 | 55 | 61% | 88% | 46% | 1.5 | 46 | $14,720 |
| 10 | Mystros Barber Academy Houston Accredited 4.8 | 51 | 41% | 77% | 35% | 1.1 | 17 | $15,000 |
| 11 | Quality Barber College Houston Accredited 4.8 | 50 | 42% | 100% | 17% | 1.8 | 12 | — |
| 12 | JACKSON Barber College Houston Accredited 4.4 | 47 | 40% | — | 40% | 1.0 | 5 | — |
| 13 | Mesa Barber School Inc. Houston Accredited 4.5 | 47 | 40% | — | 40% | 1.0 | 5 | — |
| 14 | Northwest Educational Center Houston 4 | 40 | 50% | 33% | 39% | 1.2 | 18 | $10,700 |
| 15 | Five Star Elite Fades Barber College Houston 4.9 | — | 71% | 91% | — | — | 14 | — |
| 16 | Franklin Institute #2 Houston 4.4 | — | 57% | 72% | — | — | 30 | — |
| 17 | San Jacinto College North Campus Houston 4.1 | — | 56% | — | — | — | 9 | $2,490 |
These schools have fewer than 5 recorded 2026 written test-takers, so a pass rate wouldn't be statistically meaningful yet.
| Shear Genius Barber School | Houston | 2 students tested |
| Westfield High School | Houston | 2 students tested |
| South Post Oak Barber College | Houston | 2 students tested |
| American Beauty School Reynoso | Houston | 1 student tested |
| Icon School of Barbering | Houston | 1 student tested |
| Vision To Reality Beauty Academy | Houston | 1 student tested |
| Clio Professionals Beauty School | Houston | 1 student tested |
Real, currently-tracked count: 47 cosmetology schools in the Houston area, 13 with enough 2026 test-takers (15+) for a reliable pass-rate ranking.
Based on real 2026 TDLR data across Houston schools with 15+ test-takers, the average written exam pass rate is 70%. See the full ranked list below for school-by-school numbers.
Real, currently-tracked count: 24 barber schools in the Houston area, 8 with enough 2026 test-takers (15+) for a reliable pass-rate ranking.
Based on real 2026 TDLR data across Houston schools with 15+ test-takers, the average written exam pass rate is 63%. See the full ranked list below for school-by-school numbers.
No — this page is filtered to Houston-area schools only. See the Texas Barber & Cosmetology School Leaderboard for the full statewide ranking.
Looking for the full state? Texas Barber & Cosmetology School Leaderboard