Liberty Hill Master-Planned Communities Compared (2026)
In Liberty Hill, the master-planned community you pick decides your school district, your tax district and even your water company, more than your ZIP code does. Here's how Santa Rita Ranch, Morningstar, Stonewall Ranch, Butler Farms and the acreage tier compare.
Liberty Hill master-planned communities, side by side
| Community | School district & feeder | Tax district | Water provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rita Ranch | Split. LHISD sections: Tierra Rosa Elem → Santa Rita MS → Legacy Ranch HS. GISD sections near the river: San Gabriel Elem → Benold MS → East View HS | Three different MUDs, roughly 0.54–0.83 | City of Georgetown |
| Morningstar | Liberty Hill ISD, even with Georgetown or Andice mailing addresses: Tierra Rosa Elem → Santa Rita MS → Legacy Ranch HS | Williamson County MUD No. 23, 0.92 per $100 (combined about 2.65%) | City of Georgetown |
| Stonewall Ranch | Liberty Hill ISD: Bill Burden Elem → Liberty Hill MS → Liberty Hill HS | Williamson County MUD No. 19, about 0.72 | City of Georgetown |
| Butler Farms | Liberty Hill ISD: Liberty Hill Elem → Liberty Hill MS → Liberty Hill HS | No MUD. City of Liberty Hill PID (fixed annual assessment) plus a base rate of ~2.20% | City of Liberty Hill |
| Ancient Oaks & acreage estates | Liberty Hill ISD: currently Louine Noble Elem, then the Legacy Ranch feeder | Varies by parcel; check the tax bill | Varies by parcel; ask the seller or the city |
School feeders, tax ranges and water providers come from the Texas Home Talk Liberty Hill community guide (updated August 31, 2026). Morningstar, Stonewall Ranch and Butler Farms tax details reflect current district filings. Boundaries and rates change, so verify at the address.
Santa Rita Ranch
Santa Rita Ranch is Liberty Hill's flagship new-construction community and a multiple-time national "Best Community" award winner. It's also the most complicated one to buy in. It straddles the Liberty Hill ISD and Georgetown ISD line, and it spans three different MUDs. Two homes in the same community can have different schools and different tax bills. A new Liberty Hill ISD elementary, Saddleback Elementary, is located in Santa Rita Ranch and isn't scheduled to open until the 2027–28 school year. Divine Savior Academy, a private school, has a campus inside the community. See our private schools guide for Cedar Park, Leander and Liberty Hill.
Morningstar
Morningstar is a newer community on the Ronald Reagan and SH-29 corridor. It has a resort pool, dog park, fishing pond and trails, with several builders across price tiers: Saratoga Homes, Chesmar Homes, Lennar, M/I Homes, Westin Homes and Empire Communities. It sits in Williamson County MUD No. 23. A 2025 Williamson CAD record for a Morningstar home shows a MUD rate of 0.92 per $100 and a combined rate of about 2.65% (Liberty Hill ISD, county, road district, ESD No. 4 and the MUD), above the typical range. Its mailing addresses say Georgetown or Andice, but it zones cleanly to Liberty Hill ISD and the Legacy Ranch feeder.
Stonewall Ranch
Stonewall Ranch is an established, more attainable community near Stonewall Parkway. It has a pool, a pavilion, a playground and San Gabriel River trail access. It feeds the in-town Liberty Hill schools and carries a MUD levy (Williamson County MUD No. 19) of about 0.72. It's sold out, so you'll be buying resale; the original build-out was CalAtlantic, now Lennar.
Butler Farms
Butler Farms is newer construction minutes from Main Street, built by Meritage Homes, Saratoga Homes and MA Partners. Students are assigned to Liberty Hill Elementary, then Liberty Hill Middle and Liberty Hill High. Because it sits inside Liberty Hill city limits, water and wastewater come straight from the City of Liberty Hill, and the community uses a PID assessment instead of a MUD.
Ancient Oaks and the acreage tier
Ancient Oaks offers homesites of one acre and up, plus custom builds northwest of town, for buyers who want land and privacy with Liberty Hill ISD schools. It currently zones to Louine Noble Elementary.
Other names you'll see
Area listings also include three more names worth knowing:
- Lariat is in Liberty Hill ISD (Louine Noble Elem → Liberty Hill MS → Liberty Hill HS) and North San Gabriel MUD No. 1. A 2025 Williamson CAD record for a Lariat home shows a MUD rate of 0.95 per $100 and a combined rate of about 2.68% (Liberty Hill ISD, county, road district, ESD No. 4 and the MUD). It's actively building with Ashton Woods, Chesmar Homes, Perry Homes, Highland Homes, Drees Custom Homes, Tri Pointe Homes, CastleRock Communities and Coventry Homes.
- Orchard Ridge has a Liberty Hill mailing address off SH-29 but sits in Leander ISD (Akin Elem → Stiles MS → Rouse HS). It's in Williamson County MUD No. 22, at combined rates around 2.45–2.58%. Builder phases are mostly complete, so expect mainly resales.
- Clearwater Ranch is in Liberty Hill ISD with no MUD. A 2026 Williamson CAD record for a Clearwater Ranch home shows a combined rate of about 1.73% (county, road, ESD No. 4 and Liberty Hill ISD), and the parcel also sits in Clearwater Ranch PID #2. That PID is a special assessment of about $50 a month for 20 years, not an ad valorem tax, so it isn't part of the 1.73% rate. It offers custom and semi-custom homes on one-acre-plus estate lots from Drees Custom Homes, Giddens Homes and Sitterle Homes.
- Rancho Sienna has a Georgetown postal address, but it's zoned for Liberty Hill ISD, with Rancho Sienna Elementary inside the neighborhood feeding Santa Rita Middle and Legacy Ranch High. That makes it a core consideration for buyers comparing Liberty Hill schools. It's in Williamson County MUD No. 12 and buys treated water from the City of Leander.
Orchard Ridge is a good reminder that a Liberty Hill address can fall in Leander ISD, Liberty Hill ISD or Georgetown ISD.
MUD and PID tax in Liberty Hill master-planned communities
Liberty Hill's base rate covers the ISD, county, road district and emergency services, and it runs about 1.73 per $100. On top of that, a home adds one of two things:
- In-town homes add the City of Liberty Hill rate (about 0.47), for a total near 2.2.
- Master-planned homes usually sit outside the city tax and add a MUD levy (about 0.54–0.83), for totals of roughly 2.4–2.6.
A MUD (Municipal Utility District) is a tax rate charged on your assessed value. It pays back the bonds that built the community's water, sewer and drainage, and it tends to step down as that debt is retired. A PID (Public Improvement District) works differently. It's usually a fixed dollar assessment tied to the lot, and it doesn't shrink as your home appreciates. Several Liberty Hill communities use City of Liberty Hill PIDs, including Butler Farms, Liberty Parke and Summerlyn West. Morningstar, Stonewall Ranch and Rancho Sienna are MUD-only, and Clearwater Ranch has no MUD but does sit in a PID (Clearwater Ranch PID #2), a special assessment of about $50 a month for 20 years rather than an ad valorem tax. The Kyle neighborhoods guide shows how much a PID can change the real cost of a home.
Before you offer: every rate on this page is approximate. Confirm current rates with the Williamson Central Appraisal District, look up the MUD on the TCEQ Water Districts Map Viewer, and pull the current tax bill (and any PID assessment) for the exact parcel from the county tax office. Santa Rita Ranch alone spans three MUDs, so a neighbor's bill won't tell you yours.
Schools: two high school tracks and one district seam
Liberty Hill ISD is the primary district. It earned a B (85) in the 2025–26 TEA ratings and serves about 10,446 students across 13 campuses, according to our community guide. Two feeder tracks matter:
- Legacy Ranch High (rated A, serving grades 9–11 in 2026–27 and all four grades in 2027–28; seniors stay at Liberty Hill High until then) serves eastern master-planned growth: Santa Rita Ranch's LHISD side, Morningstar and Ancient Oaks.
- Liberty Hill High (rated B) serves the in-town core: Stonewall Ranch, Butler Farms (via Liberty Hill Elementary) and downtown.
Georgetown ISD covers the northern edge of Santa Rita Ranch, and Leander ISD reaches into parts of Liberty Hill too. Our Leander ISD vs. Round Rock ISD vs. Georgetown ISD comparison explains how those districts differ and why you should confirm the high school as well as the district. For tuition-based options, Liberty Hill now has four private schools of its own. They're covered in our Cedar Park, Leander and Liberty Hill private schools guide.
Commute from Liberty Hill
| Destination (7:25 a.m. weekday) | Drive time | Route note |
|---|---|---|
| The Domain / North Austin tech | ~27 min | 183A toll |
| Downtown Austin | ~40 min | Toll |
| Cedar Park | ~18 min | 183A toll |
| Leander CapMetro rail station | ~15 min | Park-and-ride for the Red Line |
| Georgetown | ~28 min | No toll, via SH-29 |
| Round Rock | ~29 min | Toll |
Drive times from the Texas Home Talk Liberty Hill community guide. Toll-free alternates ran 8–15 minutes longer. Drive your own route at your own commute hour before you commit.
Where you live inside Liberty Hill matters too. Santa Rita Ranch and Morningstar sit on the east side toward the SH-29 and Ronald Reagan corridor, while Stonewall Ranch and Butler Farms are closer to downtown. Time the drive from the community entrance, not from the city center.
New build vs. resale
Choice and a new home
Pick your plan and finishes in active sections. Watch for a newer, higher MUD rate, school assignments that can shift as campuses open, and amenities that may still be under construction. Lariat, Morningstar, Butler Farms and Clearwater Ranch are actively building.
A known quantity
Established sections give you a real tax bill to read, finished amenities and mature landscaping. Stonewall Ranch is sold out and resale-only, and Orchard Ridge is mostly resale now.
The market itself has shifted toward buyers. Our community guide cites Redfin's June 2026 ZIP 78642 single-family median of $492,629, down 4.7% year over year, with about 106 days on market. Use that as context, not as a price for any specific home.
Liberty Hill →
Schools, utilities, taxes, commute and what life looks like in Liberty Hill.
SchoolsISD Comparison →
Leander ISD vs. Round Rock ISD vs. Georgetown ISD, and why the high school matters.
Talk to a local agent who knows Liberty Hill
Every one of the Liberty Hill master-planned communities on this page has its own catch: a district line, a tax district, a water source. A local real estate agent who works these streets every week can pull the parcel details for you. Find local agents and other trusted pros in the Texas Home Talk Business Directory.
Browse the THT Business DirectoryLiberty Hill master-planned communities: frequently asked questions
What are the master-planned communities in Liberty Hill, TX?
The best-known Liberty Hill master-planned communities are Santa Rita Ranch, Morningstar, Stonewall Ranch and Butler Farms, with the Ancient Oaks area as an acreage option. Other names buyers see in the area include Lariat, Clearwater Ranch, Rancho Sienna (Liberty Hill ISD despite a Georgetown address) and Orchard Ridge (Leander ISD despite a Liberty Hill address). Confirm each community's school district, tax district and water provider at the specific address.
Do Liberty Hill master-planned communities have MUD taxes?
Most do. According to Texas Home Talk's Liberty Hill community guide, master-planned homes typically carry a Municipal Utility District levy of roughly 0.54 to 0.83 per 100 dollars of value on top of a base rate near 1.73, for combined rates of about 2.4 to 2.6. Some run higher: a 2025 Williamson CAD record for a Morningstar home shows MUD No. 23 at 0.92, for a combined rate of about 2.65%, and one for a Lariat home shows North San Gabriel MUD No. 1 at 0.95, for a combined rate of about 2.68%. In-town homes pay a City of Liberty Hill rate instead, and some in-town communities such as Butler Farms add a fixed PID assessment rather than a MUD. MUD rates vary by section, even within one community, and usually step down as district debt is paid off. All of these rates are approximate, so confirm current rates with the Williamson Central Appraisal District for the specific parcel.
Which school district serves Santa Rita Ranch?
Santa Rita Ranch straddles two districts. Southern sections zone to Liberty Hill ISD, feeding Tierra Rosa Elementary, Santa Rita Middle and Legacy Ranch High. Northern sections near the river zone to Georgetown ISD, feeding San Gabriel Elementary, Benold Middle and East View High. A Georgetown or Andice mailing address does not tell you the district, so check the address in the district's boundary tool.
How long is the commute from Liberty Hill to Austin?
Texas Home Talk's Liberty Hill guide measured a 7:25 a.m. weekday departure at about 27 minutes to the Domain and North Austin and about 40 minutes to downtown Austin, both using the 183A toll road. Toll-free routes ran 8 to 15 minutes longer. The Leander CapMetro rail station is about 15 minutes away.
Is it better to buy new construction or resale in Liberty Hill?
It depends on the trade-off you want. Across Liberty Hill master-planned communities, both options are available. New construction in active communities brings builder options and a new home, but it often comes with a newer MUD and school assignments that can shift as new campuses open. Resale in established sections gives you a known tax bill, finished amenities and mature landscaping. Either way, pull the parcel's current tax bill and confirm the school assignment before you write an offer.