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Alumni: what's one memory from ALTA VISTA EL that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
479
Elementary
DISTRICT 474 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WACO ISD·NCES 484428005028
Alta Vista Elementary School
3637 ALTA VISTA DR, WACO, TX 76706 · (254) 662-3050 · McLennan County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL479 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.4:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
90%
433 students
DISTRICT 89% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 39 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 69 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 79 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 84 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 79 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 70 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 59 | 12% |
This year's kindergarten class (69) is 17% larger than its 5th grade class (59).
Student demographics
49%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
28.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +19.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
21.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +8.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 28 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 21 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 19 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 8 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 7.0% | 21.0% | 25.0% | 47.0% |
| Mathematics | 5.0% | 16.0% | 25.0% | 54.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 28.0% | 21.0% |
| 2024-25 | 34.0% | 17.0% |
| 2023-24 | 22.0% | 13.0% |
| 2022-23 | 16.0% | 8.0% |
| 2021-22 | 21.0% | 16.0% |
| 2020-21 | 9.0% | 13.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of TX schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
18.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.1%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-16.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 19% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 35% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Alta Vista Elementary School
Alta Vista Elementary School's state test result (18.9% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista Elementary School this school | 479 | 90.4% | 18.9% |
| Marilyn Miller Language Academy FORT WORTH | 509 | 91.2% | 10.8% |
| Crockett Elementary School BRYAN | 442 | 89.8% | 46.8% |
| Bayless Elementary School LUBBOCK | 469 | 95.1% | 43.8% |
| Uplift Pinnacle Prep PS DALLAS | 486 | 88.9% | 25.4% |
| Club Hill STEM Elementary School GARLAND | 443 | 90.5% | 30.3% |
Matched among Texas elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Alta Vista Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In McLennan County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 18.9% | #4,306 of 4,401 | #35 of 41 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 21.0% | #4,354 of 4,466 ▲ 31 | #33 of 41 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 28.0% | #4,346 of 4,466 ▼ 357 | #34 of 41 ▼ 4 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +12.5pp | #1,158 of 3,998 | #11 of 40 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 479 | #2,739 of 4,938 | #17 of 49 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.5:1 | #1,991 of 4,622 | #20 of 45 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.8% | #2,514 of 4,628 | #34 of 45 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 90.4% | #1,029 of 4,789 | #14 of 48 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.8% | #2,556 of 2,838 | #25 of 28 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
479
+12 (+3%) vs 2020
+56% since 1990-91, when it was 308
Student : Teacher
14.5:1
was 14.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 479 | 33.1 | 14.5:1 | 90% (433) |
| 2023-24 | 528 | 36.1 | 14.6:1 | 93% (492) |
| 2022-23 | 545 | 36.2 | 15.1:1 | 89% (487) |
| 2020-21 | 467 | 33 | 14.2:1 | 90% (421) |
| 2017-18 | 498 | 33.5 | 14.9:1 | 94% (467) |
| 2015-16 | 559 | 33 | 16.9:1 | 90% (502) |
| 2010-11 | 460 | 29 | 15.9:1 | 85% (393) |
| 2000-01 | 471 | 32 | 14.7:1 | 77% (365) |
| 1990-91 | 308 | 19 | 16.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Alta Vista Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (498 to 479); teachers down 1% (33.5 to 33.1).
About Alta Vista Elementary School
Alta Vista Elementary School sits in WACO, Texas, and is classified as an elementary school. It teaches 479 students in pre-K through 5.
WACO ISD is responsible for 24 schools, Alta Vista Elementary School included, with 13,476 students in all.
Federal enrollment data show Alta Vista Elementary School is 68% Hispanic. Other groups include 19% Black, 8% White, and 4% multiracial. The county population is about 27% Hispanic. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 49%.
The school lists 33.1 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.5:1. The average ratio among elementary schools in Texas is similar, at 15.1:1. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 90% of the student body. On average, public schools in McLennan County report 62%.
Compared with Texas schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Alta Vista Elementary School scores 16.2 points lower than predicted. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 18.9%; the prediction is 35.1%.
McLennan County is the school's county. There, median household income comes to about $66,643, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 29%, and about 11% of people live in poverty. McLennan County's 124 public schools enroll about 45,703 students and include Alta Vista Elementary School.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, University High School, is about 0.6 miles. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Alta Vista Elementary School places 7th of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
The school's locale code, City: Mid-size, means it is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment increased from 467 to 479, a 3% rise.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on special education services, counseling, and support programs here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
McLennan County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
266,067
Census ACS
Median income
$66,643
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
124
45,703 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in WACO ISD
- Waco High SchoolHigh · 1,885 students
- University High SchoolHigh · 1,752 students
- Tennyson Middle SchoolMiddle · 963 students
- Bell's Hill Elementary SchoolElementary · 786 students
- Cesar Chavez Middle SchoolMiddle · 786 students
- Lake Air Montessori SchoolElementary · 734 students
Other schools in WACO
- Midway High SchoolHigh · 2,687 students
- Waco High SchoolHigh · 1,885 students
- University High SchoolHigh · 1,752 students
- Tennyson Middle SchoolMiddle · 963 students
- La Vega High SchoolHigh · 881 students
- Bell's Hill Elementary SchoolElementary · 786 students
Other Alta Vista Elementary schools
8 other US public schools in 6 states are named Alta Vista Elementary. Alta Vista Elementary School is the 6th largest of the 9.
- ALTA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHAINES CITY, FL · 780 students
- Alta Vista ElementaryLos Gatos, CA · 584 students
- Alta Vista ElementaryRedondo Beach, CA · 547 students
- Alta Vista Elementary SchoolPHOENIX, AZ · 531 students
- Alta Vista ElementaryPorterville, CA · 531 students
Nearby schools
- University High School0.6 mi · 1,752
- South Waco Elementary School1.1 mi · 490
- Harmony School of Innovation - Waco1.2 mi · 614
- Bell's Hill Elementary School1.7 mi · 786
- Cesar Chavez Middle School2.1 mi · 786
- Robinson Elementary School2.4 mi · 328
Frequently asked questions
About Alta Vista Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Alta Vista Elementary School?
Alta Vista Elementary School enrolls approximately 479 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Alta Vista Elementary School serve?
Alta Vista Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Alta Vista Elementary School have?
Alta Vista Elementary School employs 33 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.5:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Alta Vista Elementary School?
At Alta Vista Elementary School, the student body is approximately 8% White, 68% Hispanic, 19% Black, 4% Two or more.
Is Alta Vista Elementary School public or private?
Alta Vista Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by WACO ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.