Enrollment
963
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Waco, TX
Tennyson Middle
Federal NCES profile for Tennyson Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 484428005058
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tennyson Middle earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #4 of 6
- middle schools in Waco · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 83.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Tennyson Middle has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Tennyson Middle ranks #4 of 6 middle schools in Waco, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tennyson Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tennyson Middle
Tennyson Middle is a high-poverty, large middle school in Waco, Texas, enrolling 963 students.
At 14.8:1, 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 runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 83.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 963 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,192 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #662.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (58%) and African American (28%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 321 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.7% 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.
Discipline events run high: 309 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 963 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 52 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 Tennyson Middle.
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 Tennyson Middle compares
Tennyson Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.4% | ▲ 35% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 963 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
963
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 57% in Texas - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
41.7%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 321 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
189
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 52 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 57.9%
African American 27.5%
White 11.4%
Two or More 2.3%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.6, Tennyson Middle 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 Tennyson Middle.
$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 Tennyson Middle 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bell's Hill El | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cesar Chavez Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lake Air Montessori School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tennyson Middle'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
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar middle 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 (~963 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tennyson Middle's federal record.
- Compare Tennyson Middle 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 Tennyson Middle
How many students attend Tennyson Middle?
Tennyson Middle has 963 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Waco, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tennyson Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Tennyson Middle is 14.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tennyson Middle?
83.4% of students at Tennyson Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tennyson Middle?
The largest demographic group at Tennyson Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 57.9% of enrollment, in Waco, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tennyson Middle?
Tennyson Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Tennyson Middle rank among middle schools in Waco?
By Resource Investment Index, Tennyson Middle ranks #4 of 6 middle 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 middle schools in Waco on the city page.
Is Tennyson Middle a good school?
Tennyson Middle earns 37/100 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 Tennyson Middle, Waco Isd also operates Waco H S (1,885 students), University H S (1,752 students), and Bell's Hill El (786 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.