Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Waco, Texas - 25 schools
An equity score of 56/100 ranks Waco Isd #415 of 1044 districts in Texas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,294 per pupil, Waco Isd ranks #520 of 1202 Texas districts by per-pupil spending (Texas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Waco Isd operates 25 public schools serving 13,824 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Texas. The school portfolio breaks down into 18 combined, 4 middle, 3 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Mclennan County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,294 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1202 Texas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Texas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 46.6% local, 33.9% state, and 19.5% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 56/100, ranked #415 of 1044 in Texas against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 25 schools offering Advanced Placement (28 AP courses district-wide), a 325.5:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 37.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 57.6% Hispanic or Latino, 31.8% African American, 7.3% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Mountainview El, with a diversity index of 66.7/100.
Its largest campus is Waco H S, enrolling 1,885 students (14% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bill Logue Detention Center, at 11 students, a 171x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Waco Isd school enrollment ranges from 11 students (lowest) to 1,885 students (highest), a spread of 1,874 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Waco Isd is typically wider than the Waco Isd-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 25 schools in Waco Isd.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Waco Isd's schools, above the Texas average of 44.7.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Waco H S | 1,885 |
| University H S | 1,752 |
| Tennyson Middle | 963 |
| Bell's Hill El | 786 |
| Cesar Chavez Middle | 786 |
| Lake Air Montessori School | 734 |
| Indian Spring Middle Charter | 723 |
| Dean Highland El | 617 |
| Parkdale El | 497 |
| South Waco El | 490 |
| Alta Vista El Charter | 479 |
| Crestview El | 464 |
| Cedar Ridge El | 446 |
| Kendrick El | 446 |
| Hillcrest Pds Magnet | 431 |
| G W Carver Middle Charter | 393 |
| Provident Heights El | 383 |
| J H Hines El Charter | 379 |
| Brook Avenue El Charter | 356 |
| Mountainview El | 349 |
| West Avenue El | 249 |
| G L Wiley Opportunity Center | 98 |
| Brazos H S | 86 |
| Challenge Academy | 52 |
| Bill Logue Detention Center | 11 |
The Texas districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grapevine-Colleyville Isd | Similar size | Lower spending | More locally funded |
| Southwest Isd | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Eagle Pass Isd | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Belton Isd | Similar size | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Magnolia Isd | Similar size | Lower spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Waco Isd's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Houston Isd →Waco Isd has 25 schools, including 3 high, 4 middle, 18 combined. Total enrollment is 13,824 students.
Waco Isd spends $13,294 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #415 in Texas.
Waco Isd students are 57.6% Hispanic or Latino, 31.8% African American, 7.3% White, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 25 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Waco Isd has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #415 out of 1044 districts in Texas.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.