1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at SOUTH WACO EL right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
490
Elementary
DISTRICT 474 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WACO ISD·NCES 484428006798
South Waco Elementary School
2104 GURLEY LN, WACO, TX 76706 · (254) 753-6802 · McLennan County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL490 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 0% of Texas public elementary schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.4:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
97%
476 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 | 59 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 73 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 76 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 83 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 71 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 57 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 71 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (73) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (71).
Student demographics
60%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
21.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +4.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
11.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +11.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 21 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 11 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 4 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 11 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 6.0% | 15.0% | 25.0% | 54.0% |
| Mathematics | 3.0% | 8.0% | 14.0% | 75.0% |
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 | 21.0% | 11.0% |
| 2024-25 | 24.0% | 5.0% |
| 2023-24 | 19.0% | 7.0% |
| 2022-23 | 30.0% | 17.0% |
| 2021-22 | 44.0% | 11.0% |
| 2020-21 | 17.0% | 0.0% |
% 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
12.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.2%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-20.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 12% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 32% 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 South Waco Elementary School
South Waco Elementary School's state test result (12.0% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Waco Elementary School this school | 490 | 97.1% | 12.0% |
| Marlin Elementary School MARLIN | 479 | 98.5% | 25.1% |
| Ronald E McNair Elementary School DALLAS | 500 | 98.2% | 32.9% |
| Cesar Chavez Learning Center DALLAS | 541 | 99.3% | 32.1% |
| Frederick Douglass Elementary School DALLAS | 453 | 96.2% | 32.0% |
| Como Elementary School FORT WORTH | 422 | 95.0% | 35.9% |
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 South Waco Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In McLennan County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 12.0% | #4,386 of 4,401 | #41 of 41 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 11.0% | #4,457 of 4,466 ▲ 7 | #40 of 41 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 21.0% | #4,437 of 4,466 ▼ 63 | #40 of 41 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -7.5pp | #512 of 3,998 | #9 of 40 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 490 | #2,635 of 4,938 | #16 of 49 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.1:1 | #4,248 of 4,622 | #44 of 45 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.5% | #1,452 of 4,628 | #18 of 45 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.1% | #268 of 4,789 | #4 of 48 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.8% | #2,331 of 2,838 | #20 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
490
+11 (+2%) vs 2020
-22% since 1990-91, when it was 630
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
was 16.0:1
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 | 490 | 27 | 18.1:1 | 97% (476) |
| 2023-24 | 477 | 33.1 | 14.4:1 | 94% (447) |
| 2022-23 | 462 | 34.3 | 13.5:1 | 96% (444) |
| 2020-21 | 479 | 30 | 16.0:1 | 99% (476) |
| 2017-18 | 526 | 34 | 15.5:1 | 96% (505) |
| 2015-16 | 531 | 31 | 17.1:1 | 95% (507) |
| 2010-11 | 617 | 33 | 18.7:1 | 96% (591) |
| 2000-01 | 574 | 38 | 15.1:1 | 96% (551) |
| 1990-91 | 630 | 43 | 14.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Waco Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (526 to 490); teachers down 21% (34 to 27).
About South Waco Elementary School
As a mid-sized elementary school, South Waco Elementary School serves students in WACO, Texas. The school covers pre-K through 5 and reported 490 students in 2024-25.
South Waco Elementary School is among 24 schools run by WACO ISD, which serves 13,476 students.
About 51% of the student body at South Waco Elementary School is Black. Enrollment also includes 37% Hispanic, 5% White, and 3% multiracial. Among people living in McLennan County, the Black share is about 14%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 60, compared with 70 nationally.
South Waco Elementary School reports a ratio of 18.1 students per teacher, from 27 full-time-equivalent teachers. Across elementary schools in Texas, the average ratio is 15.1:1. Lunch program data show 97% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The average for public schools in McLennan County is 62%.
South Waco Elementary School earns an F on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 0% of Texas public elementary schools.
South Waco Elementary School trails its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results by 20.2 points (12.0% versus 32.2%), a bottom-10% result in Texas on BeatsExpectations.
McLennan County is the school's county. There, the median household earns about $66,643 a year, roughly 29% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. South Waco Elementary School shares McLennan County with 123 other public schools.
Among nearby public schools, Alta Vista Elementary School is closest at about 1.1 miles. South Waco Elementary School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. The school's 12.0% average proficiency ranks 9th among 9 nearby schools.
In the federal locale system, South Waco Elementary School is coded City: Mid-size, for schools inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
The school's size has been steady, with 479 students in 2020-21 and 490 in 2024-25. The ratio of students to teachers went from 16.0:1 to 18.1:1 over the same years.
This page is set up for the South Waco Elementary School community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Members of the school community can share what they know.
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
Nearby schools
- Alta Vista Elementary School1.1 mi · 479
- University High School1.5 mi · 1,752
- Bell's Hill Elementary School1.5 mi · 786
- Harmony School of Innovation - Waco1.6 mi · 614
- Cesar Chavez Middle School1.6 mi · 786
- Kendrick Elementary School2.9 mi · 446
Frequently asked questions
About South Waco Elementary SchoolHow many students attend South Waco Elementary School?
South Waco Elementary School enrolls approximately 490 students in grades PK-05.
Is South Waco Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South Waco Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at South Waco Elementary School?
Approximately 18.1:1 students per teacher at South Waco Elementary School.
How diverse is South Waco Elementary School?
South Waco Elementary School reports a student body of 5% White, 37% Hispanic, 51% Black, 2% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is South Waco Elementary School in?
South Waco Elementary School is part of WACO ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.