Enrollment
490
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waco, TX
South Waco El
Federal NCES profile for South Waco El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484428006798
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Waco El earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #22 of 32
- schools in Waco · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 94.6%
- free-lunch eligible
South Waco El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Waco El ranks #22 of 32 schools in Waco, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-2% 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
What stands out at South Waco El
South Waco El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Waco, Texas, enrolling 490 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 94.6% of students qualify for free meals, 53% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 490 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,583 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #422.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and Hispanic or Latino (37%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 245 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.1% 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.
Discipline events run high: 119 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 490 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 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 South Waco 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 South Waco El compares
South Waco 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 | 14.4:1 | ▼ 2% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 94.6% | ▲ 53% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 490 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
490
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
94.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 52% in Texas - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
36.1%
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
Counselors2.0 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 59.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.6, South Waco 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 South Waco 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 South Waco El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waco H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| University H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tennyson Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bell's Hill El | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cesar Chavez Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Waco 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 (~490 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Waco El's federal record.
- Compare South Waco 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 South Waco El
How many students attend South Waco El?
South Waco El has 490 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waco, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Waco El?
The student-teacher ratio at South Waco El is 14.4:1, which is 2% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 8% 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 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% of enrollment, in Waco, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Waco El?
South Waco El has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 South Waco El rank among schools in Waco?
By Resource Investment Index, South Waco El ranks #22 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 South Waco El a good school?
South Waco El earns 43/100 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 South Waco 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.