Enrollment
264
Combined
DISTRICT 133 · STATE 485
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GHOLSON ISD·NCES 482061002073
Gholson ISD
137 HAMILTON DR, WACO, TX 76705 · (254) 829-1528 · McLennan County
GRADES PK–12COMBINED41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL264 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
20 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 11.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
72%
191 students
DISTRICT 72% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 13 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 22 | 8% |
| Grade 1 | 22 | 8% |
| Grade 2 | 23 | 9% |
| Grade 3 | 17 | 6% |
| Grade 4 | 21 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 16 | 6% |
| Grade 6 | 18 | 7% |
| Grade 7 | 15 | 6% |
| Grade 8 | 20 | 8% |
| Grade 9 | 16 | 6% |
| Grade 10 | 23 | 9% |
| Grade 11 | 22 | 8% |
| Grade 12 | 16 | 6% |
This year's kindergarten class (22) is 10% larger than its 8th grade class (20).
Student demographics
51%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · 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
56.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +18.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
33.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -5.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 33 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 18 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 5 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 23.0% | 33.0% | 20.0% | 24.0% |
| Mathematics | 11.0% | 22.0% | 34.0% | 33.0% |
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 | 56.0% | 33.0% |
| 2024-25 | 59.0% | 33.0% |
| 2023-24 | 55.0% | 26.0% |
| 2022-23 | 44.0% | 11.0% |
| 2021-22 | 33.0% | 0.0% |
| 2020-21 | 38.0% | 38.0% |
% 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
38.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.8%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 43% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.
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 Gholson ISD
Gholson ISD's state test result (38.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gholson ISD this school | 264 | 72.3% | 38.3% |
| Shamrock ISD SHAMROCK | 343 | 68.5% | 45.3% |
| Panther Creek School VALERA | 163 | 69.9% | 27.2% |
| McLean School MCLEAN | 182 | 68.7% | 41.5% |
| Trent Independent School District TRENT | 144 | 70.8% | 35.1% |
| North Zulch Elementary/Secondary NORTH ZULCH | 333 | 65.2% | 58.4% |
Matched among Texas K-12 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 Gholson ISD ranks
Among K-12 schools| Measure | This school | In Texas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 38.3% | #139 of 211 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 33.0% | #146 of 218 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.0% | #96 of 218 ▼ 18 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +17.0pp | #47 of 134 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 264 | #97 of 280 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.3:1 | #99 of 141 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 51.0% | #55 of 144 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 72.3% | #57 of 226 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.7% | #36 of 42 |
Ranked against other public K-12 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
264
+46 (+21%) vs 2020
+76% since 1990-91, when it was 150
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 11.5:1
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 | 264 | 19.9 | 13.3:1 | 72% (191) |
| 2023-24 | 269 | 23 | 11.7:1 | 74% (200) |
| 2022-23 | 262 | 21.5 | 12.2:1 | 66% (173) |
| 2020-21 | 218 | 19 | 11.5:1 | 69% (151) |
| 2017-18 | 257 | 19.5 | 13.2:1 | 73% (187) |
| 2015-16 | 247 | 19 | 13.0:1 | 77% (191) |
| 2010-11 | 144 | 11 | 13.1:1 | 81% (117) |
| 2000-01 | 136 | 11 | 12.4:1 | 46% (62) |
| 1990-91 | 150 | 9 | 16.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Gholson ISD.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (257 to 264); teachers up 2% (19.5 to 19.9).
About Gholson ISD
Among the schools in WACO, Texas, is Gholson ISD, a low-enrollment school serving multiple grade levels. The school counted 264 students in 2024-25, covering pre-K through 12. That is 46% below the average of about 485 students for combined schools in Texas.
Gholson ISD operates as its own local education agency.
The student body at Gholson ISD is 65% White. The rest of enrollment is 26% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 5% Black. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 51%.
The school had 19.9 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25. Its student-to-teacher ratio is 13.3:1. The gap from the 11.7:1 average for combined schools in Texas is 1.6 students per teacher. The school reported 72% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. The 62% average for public schools in McLennan County is 10 points lower.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Gholson ISD is -4.5 points: 38.3% actual, 42.8% predicted.
In McLennan County, where the school is located, 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. There are 124 public schools in the county, enrolling about 45,703, Gholson ISD among them.
Measured in a straight line, China Spring Elementary School is about 5.3 miles from Gholson ISD. The ten-mile area around Gholson ISD holds at least 8 other public schools. The school's 38.3% average proficiency ranks 7th among 7 nearby schools.
NCES assigns Gholson ISD the locale Rural: Fringe, meaning in rural territory close to an urban area.
Federal enrollment counts increased from 218 (2020-21) to 264 (2024-25). Students per teacher increased from 11.5 in 2020-21 to 13.3 in 2024-25.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at Gholson ISD. 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
- 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
Nearby schools
- China Spring Elementary School5.3 mi · 613
- China Spring Primary School6.3 mi · 456
- Tag6.3 mi · 11
- China Spring Intermediate School6.3 mi · 491
- China Spring Middle School6.6 mi · 483
- China Spring High School6.7 mi · 959
Frequently asked questions
About Gholson ISDWhat is the total enrollment at Gholson ISD?
Gholson ISD enrolls approximately 264 students in grades PK-12.
What grades does Gholson ISD serve?
Gholson ISD serves grades PK-12.
How many teachers does Gholson ISD have?
Gholson ISD employs 20 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.3:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Gholson ISD?
At Gholson ISD, the student body is approximately 65% White, 26% Hispanic, 5% Black, 5% Two or more.
Is Gholson ISD public or private?
Gholson ISD is a public K-12 school, overseen by GHOLSON ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.