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Dean Highland Elementary

Q: Is Dean Highland Elementary a good school?

Dean Highland Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.3% of Texas elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Dean Highland Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 617 students attended Dean Highland Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Dean Highland Elementary?

Students at Dean Highland Elementary are 67% Hispanic, 24% African American, 5% White, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Dean Highland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dean Highland Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : G W Carver Middle High : Waco High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

4615^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 0% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Dean Highland Elementary is a PK-5 school in Waco, TX, serving 617 students within the Waco Independent School District (Isd), where over 94% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high-poverty environment.

This school faces significant academic challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 1-5% of Texas elementary schools and currently sitting at the 0th percentile statewide. Mathematics proficiency is a critical concern, with only 6.74% of 5th graders proficient in math, compared to 24.01% in the district and 47.38% statewide. Reading scores also show volatility, swinging dramatically from year to year, which may point to high teacher turnover or curriculum changes. The school has the largest student-teacher ratio (17.2) among nearby schools, higher than West Avenue Elementary (13.8) and Mountainview Elementary (13.6), which can limit individualized attention in a high-needs setting. Interestingly, Special Education students showed a glimmer of hope in prior years, ranking in the 46th percentile in 2023-2024, though that progress dropped sharply in 2025-2026.

Compared to nearby schools, the performance gap is stark. Hillcrest Pds Magnet, less than a mile away, serves a student body with a much lower poverty rate (63.34%) and achieves dramatically better results (49th percentile). Provident Heights Elementary (0.87 miles away) ranks in the 19th percentile, while Cedar Ridge Elementary had 39.29% of 5th graders proficient in math in the same year. The school also administers the STAAR test in Spanish, but results are consistently 0% proficient, suggesting the Spanish-language program needs review. For parents, these insights highlight a school with systemic challenges, though the prior success in Special Education suggests targeted interventions can work.

617

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,976

Per pupil spending ?

94.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3300 Maple
Waco, TX 76707

(254) 752-3751

District: Waco Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Dean Highland Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	G W Carver Middle
High:	Waco High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.3%

African American:

24.1%

White:

5.2%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Dean Highland Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 16th percentile in 2016 → <1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (15% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg27%

Texas avg51%

4,615^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 14Elementary Schools in the Waco Independent School District (Isd)

905^th of 951Waco Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	3.0	4615 of 4627	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.5	4606 of 4651	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.1	4678 of 4710	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.9	4583 of 4647	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	4356 of 4581	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.8	4161 of 4578	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.7	4288 of 4479	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	3906 of 4359	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.7	3944 of 4329	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	23.0	3601 of 4286	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.2	3875 of 4320	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	30.6	3377 of 4260	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.0	3646 of 4221	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.8	2847 of 4206	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.3	2325 of 4095	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	55.1	2054 of 3937	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.8	2264 of 3884	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	36.0	2862 of 3768	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	45.3	2441 of 3724	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	64.2	1306 of 3476	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	62.6	1388 of 3475	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	64.4	1268 of 3465	63.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	6.7	2395 of 2406	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.3	1834 of 1905	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	2391 of 2443	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	2364 of 2443	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	2334 of 2421	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	2267 of 2444	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.5	2311 of 2515	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	33.7	1761 of 2483	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	21.3	4009 of 4461	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.3	3768 of 4331	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.4	3909 of 4295	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.4	3925 of 4240	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	8.4	1627 of 1643	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.0	2842 of 2918	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	3477 of 3668	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.5	3468 of 3556	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	3288 of 3487	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	38.5	2164 of 3446	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.4	3000 of 3333	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.5	2888 of 3226	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	3.5	4565 of 4575	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.5	3642 of 3744	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	4501 of 4658	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	4482 of 4588	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	4401 of 4561	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	4100 of 4499	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.1	4260 of 4348	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	3816 of 4306	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	1.3	3064 of 3075	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.0	2564 of 2619	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	2868 of 2980	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.1	2874 of 2958	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	2552 of 3006	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	2751 of 3184	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.9	3053 of 3106	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	4.9	4391 of 4413	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.6	3566 of 3644	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	4341 of 4465	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	4314 of 4401	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	3884 of 4376	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.0	3567 of 4329	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	3903 of 4188	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	3581 of 4168	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	5.2	4500 of 4520	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.0	3628 of 3705	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	4498 of 4594	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.2	4464 of 4521	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	4110 of 4477	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	4050 of 4451	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	4165 of 4309	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	3662 of 4264	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	4.2	4561 of 4582	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.6	3701 of 3739	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.8	4609 of 4647	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.2	4540 of 4585	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	4252 of 4563	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	4049 of 4498	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.5	4014 of 4357	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	3917 of 4319	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	6.6	960 of 975	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.2	1094 of 1099	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	14.4	4227 of 4301	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	33.0	2532 of 3549	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.7	2323 of 4292	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.2	3904 of 4086	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	3728 of 3952	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	3799 of 3799	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.4	2967 of 3558	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	7.8	2946 of 3006	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.5	2544 of 2612	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.9	3073 of 3108	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.0	3060 of 3106	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.3	3036 of 3082	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.1	3036 of 3082	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	52.1	1513 of 3142	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	29.5	2434 of 3127	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

At Risk (2022)10th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)2nd percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)<1st percentile~ school

African American (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Female (2026)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading17%-38 vs state

Mathematics12%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dean Highland Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR Spanish Reading (2026)	STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2026)	STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)						STAAR Mathematics (2026)						STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Dean Highland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3300 Maple	Waco	76707	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 752-3751	617	36	17.2	94.8%	32 (5.2%)	149 (24.1%)	415 (67.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.1%)	3	4615^th of 4627 public elementary schools	0.3%		5.5	4606^th of 4651 public elementary schools	1.0%	9				5.3	19.8	23.6				10.5	19.5	6.7					$8,976
Provident Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2415 Bosque Blvd	Waco	76707	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 750-3930	383	26	14.7	94.3%	20 (5.2%)	55 (14.4%)	295 (77.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.6%)	24.8	3764^th of 4627 public elementary schools	18.7%		15.5	4258^th of 4651 public elementary schools	8.4%	494				41.1	28.9	44.4				33.9	18.9	42.9					$9,520
Hillcrest Pds Magnet	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4225 Pine Ave	Waco	76710	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 772-4286	431	29	14.8	63.3%	102 (23.7%)	62 (14.4%)	243 (56.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.9%)	45.8	2343^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	49.4%		47.8	2271^st of 4651 public elementary schools	51.2%	72				63.5	53.2	50.0				40.3	38.7	35.5					$8,834
Lake Air Montessori School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	4601 Cobbs Dr	Waco	76710	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 772-1910	734	55	13.4	68.1%	117 (15.9%)	89 (12.1%)	499 (68.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.7%)	38.6	2848^th of 4627 public elementary schools	38.4%		55.4	1814^th of 4651 public elementary schools	61.0%	1034			88.2	38.6	61.3	63.5	44.4	56.5	53.5	25.7	34.7	41.9	18.5	0.0	51.6	41.9	$9,895
Crestview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1120 N New Rd	Waco	76710	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 776-1704	464	30	15.5	95.3%	39 (8.4%)	129 (27.8%)	280 (60.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.2%)	7.6	4545^th of 4627 public elementary schools	1.8%		5.9	4594^th of 4651 public elementary schools	1.2%	49	0.0	11.1		19.3	31.3	32.8				12.3	25.0	14.9					$9,607
West Avenue Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1101 N 15th St	Waco	76707	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 750-3900	249	18	13.8	96.4%	12 (4.8%)	116 (46.6%)	113 (45.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.2%)	9.3	4511^th of 4627 public elementary schools	2.5%		15	4288^th of 4651 public elementary schools	7.8%	223				32.4	26.3	38.1				20.6	18.4	11.9					$10,962
Brook Avenue Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	720 Brook Ave	Waco	76708	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 750-3562	356	21	16.9	97.8%	5 (1.4%)	163 (45.8%)	173 (48.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	9.5	4503^rd of 4627 public elementary schools	2.7%		7.8	4543^rd of 4651 public elementary schools	2.3%	40				17.3	37.0	26.4				18.2	26.1	22.6					$9,729
Mountainview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5901 Bishop St	Waco	76710	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 772-2520	349	26	13.6	84.8%	65 (18.6%)	100 (28.7%)	161 (46.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.7%)	14.4	4330^th of 4627 public elementary schools	6.4%		18.6	4111^th of 4651 public elementary schools	11.6%	219				32.1	41.5	33.3				26.8	20.8	20.0					$10,546
Harmony Science Academy (Waco)	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1900 N Valley Mills Dr	Waco	76710	McLennan County	Harmony Public Schools - North Texas	Yes	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 751-7878	569	39	14.4	87.0%	70 (12.3%)	104 (18.3%)	372 (65.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.3%)	18.7	4116^th of 4627 public elementary schools	11.0%		27.1	3600^th of 4651 public elementary schools	22.6%	516				36.6	44.6	43.0				23.9	17.6	25.3					$11,042
Cedar Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2115 Meridian Ave	Waco	76708	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 756-1241	446	29	15.4	95.1%	37 (8.3%)	129 (28.9%)	262 (58.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.0%)	18.4	4136^th of 4627 public elementary schools	10.6%		15.3	4272^nd of 4651 public elementary schools	8.1%	136				25.9	34.6	43.6				19.0	31.4	39.3					$10,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Dean Highland Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Dean Highland Elementary?

Students at Dean Highland Elementary are 67% Hispanic, 24% African American, 5% White, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Dean Highland Elementary in?

Waco Independent School District (Isd)

What schools do graduates of Dean Highland Elementary attend?

Students who attend Dean Highland Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : G W Carver Middle
High : Waco High School

Is Dean Highland Elementary a good school?

Dean Highland Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.3% of Texas elementary schools.

How many students attend Dean Highland Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 617 students attended Dean Highland Elementary.

Rate Dean Highland Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.