Enrollment
490
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 484428006798
South Waco El — Waco, TX
Federal NCES profile for South Waco El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 10
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
94.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Waco El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
South Waco El reports 490 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 94.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% above the Texas average and 83% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 245 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waco Isd spends $15,641 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.6% from local sources (property taxes), 33.9% from the state, and 19.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How South Waco El compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.6% | ▲ 53% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 490 | top 49% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
94.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 35% in Texas — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
36.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,641
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 245 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
96
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 490 Top 49% in Texas — larger than 51% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 94.6% +53% vs state
NCES ID 484428006798
Student demographics
African American 51.2%
Hispanic or Latino 37.1%
White 5.3%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: African American at 51.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 245:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.1%
In-school suspensions 96
Out-of-school suspensions 23
Expulsions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waco Isd, which includes South Waco El.
$15,641
Per student
-9%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,885
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Similar other schools in Waco
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Bell'S Hill El
Standard public school
786 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Lake Air Montessori School
Standard public school
734 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Dean Highland El
Standard public school
617 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
South Bosque El
Standard public school
578 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harmony Science Acad (Waco)
Standard public school
569 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Woodway El
Standard public school
547 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about South Waco El
How many students attend South Waco El?
South Waco El has 490 students enrolled. It is a other school in WACO, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Waco El?
The student-teacher ratio at South Waco El is 13.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Waco El?
94.6% of students at South Waco El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Waco El?
The largest demographic group at South Waco El is African American at 51.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in WACO, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Waco El?
South Waco El has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.