Enrollment
479
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waco, TX
Alta Vista El
Federal NCES profile for Alta Vista El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484428005028Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alta Vista El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #26 of 32
- schools in Waco · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 86.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Alta Vista El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alta Vista El ranks #26 of 32 schools in Waco, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alta Vista El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alta Vista El
Alta Vista El is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Waco, Texas, enrolling 479 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 479 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 2,025 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #981.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (69%) and African American (19%) (diversity index 49/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 479 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Waco Isd also operates Waco H S (1,885 students) and University H S (1,752 students) alongside Alta Vista El.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alta Vista El compares
Alta Vista El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.4% | ▲ 40% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 479 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
479
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 38% in Texas - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
25.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,294
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 479 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 68.5%
African American 18.6%
White 8.1%
Two or More 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 68.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.8, Alta Vista El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waco Isd, which includes Alta Vista El.
$13,294
Per student
-3%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 33.9%
Federal 19.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Alta Vista El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waco H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| University H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tennyson Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bell's Hill El | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cesar Chavez Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alta Vista El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,885
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~479 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alta Vista El's federal record.
- Compare Alta Vista El against another school. Compare schools
- Waco Isd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Alta Vista El
How many students attend Alta Vista El?
Alta Vista El has 479 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waco, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alta Vista El?
The student-teacher ratio at Alta Vista El is 13.3:1, which is 10% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alta Vista El?
86.4% of students at Alta Vista El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alta Vista El?
The largest demographic group at Alta Vista El is Hispanic or Latino at 68.5% of enrollment, in Waco, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alta Vista El?
Alta Vista El has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Alta Vista El rank among schools in Waco?
By Resource Investment Index, Alta Vista El ranks #26 of 32 schools in Waco, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Waco on the city page.
Is Alta Vista El a good school?
Alta Vista El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Waco Isd?
Besides Alta Vista El, Waco Isd also operates Waco H S (1,885 students), University H S (1,752 students), and Tennyson Middle (963 students). See the Waco Isd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.