DEAN HIGHLAND EL

DEAN HIGHLAND EL is one of the average-sized elementary schools in WACO, Texas, one of the schools within WACO ISD, with 617 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5.

Within WACO ISD, which oversees 24 schools and 13,476 students, DEAN HIGHLAND EL is one campus in the system.

On demographics, DEAN HIGHLAND EL shows that 67% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest looks like 24% Black, 5% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, McLennan County as a whole is about 27% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, DEAN HIGHLAND EL has 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.2:1. The state averages around 15.1:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 95% of students at DEAN HIGHLAND EL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against McLennan County (around 62%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

With demographic context factored in, DEAN HIGHLAND EL falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 32.5%; this one comes in at 14.6%, -17.9 points off the demographic line.

Around the school, census data for McLennan County shows the typical household earns roughly $66,643 per year, about 29% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. DEAN HIGHLAND EL is one of 124 public schools in McLennan County (combined enrollment of about 45,703 students).

The closest other public school is WACO H S, roughly 0.8 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), DEAN HIGHLAND EL ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 33.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at DEAN HIGHLAND EL has declined 17%, going from 739 students in 2018 to 617 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share grew from 62% to 67%.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.