PROVIDENT HEIGHTS EL

PROVIDENT HEIGHTS EL, a cozy primary school in WACO, Texas, overseen by WACO ISD, instructs 383 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 26% leaner than the state mean of about 519.

Across the 24 schools in WACO ISD (13,476 students total), PROVIDENT HEIGHTS EL accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, PROVIDENT HEIGHTS EL logs that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 77% of enrollment. The remainder looks like 14% Black, 5% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, McLennan County as a whole is about 27% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, On paper, PROVIDENT HEIGHTS EL has 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.7:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 94% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, McLennan County runs at roughly 62%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, PROVIDENT HEIGHTS EL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 32.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 23.9%.

In the surrounding community, census data for McLennan County shows the typical household earns roughly $66,643 per year, roughly 29% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across McLennan County's 124 public schools (combined enrollment of about 45,703 students), PROVIDENT HEIGHTS EL is one campus in the mix.

WEST AVENUE EL is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.8 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), PROVIDENT HEIGHTS EL ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 17.9%.

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

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count remained close to its prior level: 386 students in 2018 compared to 383 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 23% to 14% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.