Enrollment
1,885
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Waco, TX
Waco H S
Federal NCES profile for Waco H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 484428005054
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waco H S earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Texas schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Texas.
- #4 of 10
- high schools in Waco · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.5:1
- small classes for Texas
- 85.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Waco H S has class sizes smaller than 72% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waco H S ranks #4 of 10 high schools in Waco, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
151.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waco H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waco H S
Waco H S is a high-poverty, large high school in Waco, Texas, enrolling 1,885 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Texas, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,885 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 170 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #29.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (60%) and African American (30%) (diversity index 55/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 356 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
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: 617 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,885 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 99 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Waco Isd also operates University H S (1,752 students) and Tennyson Middle (963 students) alongside Waco H S.
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 H S compares
Waco H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.4% | ▲ 38% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,885 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,885
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 28% in Texas - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Counselors5.3 FTE
Per 356 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
320
in-school suspensions + 297 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 99 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 59.5%
African American 29.7%
White 8.3%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 59.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.0, Waco H S is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waco Isd, which includes Waco H S.
$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 Waco H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| University H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tennyson Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bell's Hill El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cesar Chavez Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lake Air Montessori School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waco H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar high 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 (~1,885 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waco H S's federal record.
- Compare Waco H S 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 Waco H S
How many students attend Waco H S?
Waco H S has 1,885 students enrolled. It is a high school in Waco, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waco H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Waco H S is 12.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 20% 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 H S?
85.4% of students at Waco H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waco H S?
The largest demographic group at Waco H S is Hispanic or Latino at 59.5% of enrollment, in Waco, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waco H S?
Waco H S has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Waco H S rank among high schools in Waco?
By Resource Investment Index, Waco H S ranks #4 of 10 high 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 high schools in Waco on the city page.
Is Waco H S a good school?
Waco H S earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Texas schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Texas. 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 Waco H S, Waco Isd also operates University H S (1,752 students), Tennyson Middle (963 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.