Enrollment
422
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waco, KY
Waco Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Waco Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210372000951
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waco Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 54.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 422
- students enrolled
Waco Elementary School has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.9%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waco Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waco Elementary School
Waco Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Waco, Kentucky, enrolling 422 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 54.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 422 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kentucky median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 463 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #195.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 422 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Madison County also operates Madison Central High School (2,107 students) and Madison Southern High School (1,224 students) alongside Waco Elementary School.
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 Waco Elementary School compares
Waco Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 7% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.9% | ▼ 7% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 422 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
422
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% below the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 37% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,762
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kentucky avg of $13,211
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 422 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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
White 86.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.5%
Two or More 5.0%
African American 1.9%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.2, Waco Elementary School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison County, which includes Waco Elementary School.
$11,762
Per student
-11%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.2%
State 49.3%
Federal 18.5%
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 Waco Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madison Southern High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kirksville Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kingston Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madison Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waco Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,107
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,224
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 608
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 586
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kentucky, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~422 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waco Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Waco Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Madison County'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 Waco Elementary School
How many students attend Waco Elementary School?
Waco Elementary School has 422 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waco, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waco Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waco Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 7% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 10% 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 Waco Elementary School?
54.9% of students at Waco Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waco Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Waco Elementary School is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Waco, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waco Elementary School?
Waco Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
Is Waco Elementary School a good school?
Waco Elementary School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky 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 Madison County?
Besides Waco Elementary School, Madison County also operates Madison Central High School (2,107 students), Madison Southern High School (1,224 students), and Kirksville Elementary School (662 students). See the Madison County 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.