Enrollment
446
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waco, TX
Cedar Ridge El
Federal NCES profile for Cedar Ridge El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484428005032
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 23
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cedar Ridge El earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #10 of 32
- schools in Waco · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 93.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Cedar Ridge El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cedar Ridge El ranks #10 of 32 schools in Waco, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cedar Ridge El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cedar Ridge El
Cedar Ridge El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Waco, Texas, enrolling 446 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 93.3% of students qualify for free meals, 51% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 446 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 1,565 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #91, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (59%) and African American (29%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 178 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.9% 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.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Waco Isd also operates Waco H S (1,885 students) and University H S (1,752 students) alongside Cedar Ridge 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 Cedar Ridge El compares
Cedar Ridge 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.3% | ▲ 51% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 446 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
446
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 35% in Texas - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.9%
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 178 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
73
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 58.7%
African American 28.9%
White 8.3%
Two or More 4.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 58.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.3, Cedar Ridge 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 Cedar Ridge 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 Cedar Ridge 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 Cedar Ridge 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 (~446 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cedar Ridge El's federal record.
- Compare Cedar Ridge 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 Cedar Ridge El
How many students attend Cedar Ridge El?
Cedar Ridge El has 446 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waco, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cedar Ridge El?
The student-teacher ratio at Cedar Ridge El is 13.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 17% 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 Cedar Ridge El?
93.3% of students at Cedar Ridge El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cedar Ridge El?
The largest demographic group at Cedar Ridge El is Hispanic or Latino at 58.7% of enrollment, in Waco, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cedar Ridge El?
Cedar Ridge El has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Cedar Ridge El rank among schools in Waco?
By Resource Investment Index, Cedar Ridge El ranks #10 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 Cedar Ridge El a good school?
Cedar Ridge El earns 51/100 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 Cedar Ridge 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.