Encino Park (78259): The Master-Planned Neighborhood North of Stone Oak That Isn't Stone Oak

Encino Park is the 1980s Ray Ellison master-planned neighborhood off Bulverde Road, roughly bounded by Evans Road to the south, Bulverde Road to the west, and the Cibolo Creek greenbelt to the north. It is unincorporated Bexar County, ZIP 78259, and it is not Stone Oak — Stone Oak is 78258, one ZIP west, on the other side of US-281. It is also not Timberwood Park, which sits north of Encino Park in ZIP 78260 and is zoned to Comal ISD rather than NEISD. That distinction — three adjacent north-side neighborhoods, three different ZIPs, two different school districts, all sharing the same US-281 exits — is where most out-of-town buyers and renters get tripped up in the first week.

If you are looking at a listing that says "Stone Oak area" but the address is on Bulverde Road, Redland Road, or anything east of 281, you are almost certainly in 78259, not 78258. That matters for schools, HOA rules, commute, and what your neighbors actually paid.

Where Encino Park actually sits

The subdivision proper is anchored around Encino Park Drive and Encino Grande, with Wilderness Oak forming the southern spine that connects Bulverde Road to US-281. The greenbelt along Cibolo Creek is real park space maintained by the HOA and the county, not a marketing map — you can walk the trail from Encino Park Elementary down toward Evans Road.

Surrounding 78259 includes several adjacent but separate neighborhoods that share the ZIP:

• Redland Oaks — smaller, older, west of Bulverde Road.
• Champions Village and Champions Run — south of Encino Park along Wilderness Oak.
• Deerfield — larger, further south, closer to 1604.
• Longs Creek and Sonoma Ranch — east side of 281.

Each has its own HOA (or no HOA), its own price band, and its own attendance zone within NEISD. Do not assume "78259" means "Encino Park."

The NEISD schools and the Johnson High zone

78259 is North East ISD territory, not Comal, not NISD, and not Judson. The three most common attendance patterns in and around Encino Park:

• Encino Park Elementary → Bush Middle → Johnson High
• Hardy Oak Elementary or Tuscany Heights Elementary → Lopez Middle → Johnson High (for parts of Deerfield and neighborhoods closer to 1604)
• Small pockets that shift to Reagan High on the western edge

Johnson High is one of the two large NEISD high schools that anchor the north side (Reagan is the other). If a school assignment matters to you — and in NEISD it usually does, because campus reputation varies block by block — pull the exact address through NEISD's attendance lookup before signing anything. Boundaries have shifted in the last decade as Comal ISD absorbed growth further north.

One live risk: NEISD has closed and consolidated elementary campuses recently to deal with enrollment shifts. Encino Park Elementary itself has been part of those conversations. Confirm with the district for the school year you are enrolling in.

The HOA and what it actually covers

Encino Park has an active HOA with dues in the low hundreds annually — enough to fund a community pool, tennis courts, a park pavilion, and greenbelt maintenance, not enough to fund private security or gated entries. Deed restrictions cover the usual: exterior paint, fencing materials, RV and boat storage, short-term rentals. If you are considering an Airbnb play in 78259, read the covenants first — several of the master-planned neighborhoods here restrict rentals under 30 days regardless of what the City of San Antonio's STR ordinance would otherwise allow.

This is unincorporated Bexar County, so:

• Sheriff, not SAPD, is your law enforcement.
• CPS Energy for electric, SAWS for water and sewer (SAWS extended service here decades ago).
• No city property tax, but you still pay Bexar County, NEISD, Alamo Colleges, University Health, San Antonio River Authority, and the road & flood district. Pull the full tax bill on any specific address through BCAD's public property search before you assume "unincorporated" means cheap.

Commute realities: 281, 1604, and Wurzbach Parkway

78259's practical downside is that you have exactly two ways out during rush hour: US-281 south, or Loop 1604 east/west. Both back up.

• 281 southbound past Stone Oak Parkway improved substantially after TxDOT finished the overpasses through the Bulverde Road interchange, but the section from 1604 down to 410 is still the bottleneck between you and downtown, USAA, or the Medical Center.
• Wurzbach Parkway extended east all the way to I-35, which gave 78259 residents a real alternative to 1604 for reaching JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, the airport, and the northeast side.
• JBSA-Randolph via 1604 East is a 20–25 minute drive off-peak, longer at shift change.
• JBSA-Lackland is the hardest commute from here — plan on 35–45 minutes each way via 1604 West or 281→410.

If your job is on the far west side or at Lackland, 78259 is the wrong ZIP. If it is downtown, the Medical Center, USAA, the Pearl, or Fort Sam, it works.

Rentals and price bands

RentInSA's active listings across San Antonio show a median asking rent of $1,725/mo as of August 2026, with 3-bedroom homes citywide at a median of $1,700 and 4-bedroom homes at $2,100. Encino Park and the surrounding 78259 neighborhoods run above the citywide median because the housing stock is majority single-family, three- and four-bedroom, with NEISD schools attached. Expect asking rents in the low-$2,000s to high-$2,000s for a standard 3/2 or 4/2 in Encino Park proper, higher in the newer sections south of Wilderness Oak, lower for older Redland Oaks stock.

Inventory in 78259 turns over slowly compared to Converse or the far west side — this is not a heavy rental corridor. If you want a specific street or elementary zone, expect to wait for the right listing rather than pick from ten.

What most people get wrong

• Calling it Stone Oak. Stone Oak is 78258, west of US-281. Encino Park is 78259, east of US-281. Same NEISD district in most cases, different subdivisions, different HOAs, different price points. Agents and landlords use "Stone Oak area" loosely; the ZIP on the tax record is what actually applies.
• Assuming Comal ISD. Cross Bulverde Road north into 78260 and you are usually in Comal ISD (Timberwood Park, Bulverde). Encino Park itself is NEISD. This one mistake has moved families to the wrong side of the line more than once.
• Ignoring the elementary consolidation risk. NEISD has actively rezoned and closed campuses on the north side. Your kid's assigned elementary today may not be their assigned elementary in two years. Verify with NEISD directly, not with the listing.
• Thinking "unincorporated" means low taxes. Bexar County unincorporated addresses still carry NEISD, county, hospital, community college, and river authority levies. Effective rates commonly land in the 2.0–2.4% range depending on exemptions. File your homestead exemption via BCAD Form 50-114 by April 30 the year after you close, or you leave real money on the table.
• Underestimating 281 at 7:45 a.m. If your job is downtown and you have not driven the 281 southbound corridor at 7:30 a.m. on a Wednesday, do that before you sign.
• Buying without reading the deed restrictions. Several 78259 subdivisions restrict short-term rentals, workshop outbuildings, and fence heights independent of city ordinance. Pull the recorded covenants from Bexar County Clerk before closing.

The short version

Encino Park is a legitimate NEISD neighborhood with real amenities, a Johnson High attendance zone, and quieter streets than Stone Oak — but it comes with a real 281 commute and price points that reflect the school district more than the housing stock. It is a strong fit for families whose work is downtown, at the Medical Center, or at Fort Sam, and a poor fit for anyone tied to Lackland or the far west side.

Browse current 78259 rentals at /rentals, list your Encino Park home for sale without a listing commission at /list-your-home, or find a north-side agent who actually knows the NEISD attendance boundaries at /agents.