Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

South Waco Elementary

Q: Is South Waco Elementary a good school?

South Waco Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Texas elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend South Waco Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 490 students attended South Waco Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of South Waco Elementary?

Students at South Waco Elementary are 51% African American, 37% Hispanic, 5% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian.

Q: What schools do graduates of South Waco Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Waco Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Cesar Chavez Middle High : University High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

4616^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 0% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

South Waco Elementary is a PK-5 school in the Waco Independent School District (Isd) serving about 490 students in a high-poverty area, where over 97% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has faced severe academic challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 1-2% of Texas elementary schools over the past decade, with math scores being particularly concerning—only 5.41% of 5th graders and 8.79% of 4th graders were proficient in math in the 2025-2026 school year, far below district and state averages.

Despite these struggles, there are notable bright spots. English Language Learners at South Waco performed in the 43rd percentile statewide, earning the school 2 stars for this subgroup—a significant outlier compared to overall performance. Additionally, 5th-grade reading showed a positive trend, with proficiency rising from 18.31% in 2023-2024 to 37.14% in 2024-2025, though it later settled at 24.32%. The school spends $11,331 per student, which is higher than nearby Robinson Elementary ($9,390) but lower than other struggling Waco ISD schools like J H Hines Elementary ($13,913) and West Avenue Elementary ($13,956), suggesting that resource effectiveness, not just funding, is key.

An interesting comparison is with Bell's Hill Elementary, located just 1.5 miles away and serving an almost identical high-poverty population. Bell's Hill consistently outperforms South Waco by a wide margin—ranking in the 7th percentile versus South Waco's 0th in 2025-2026, with 3rd-grade reading proficiency double that of South Waco (35.92% vs. 17.71%). This contrast highlights that school-level leadership and instructional quality can make a difference even in challenging circumstances. Meanwhile, Robinson Pri and Robinson Elementary in Robinson Independent School District (Isd), serving a lower-poverty population, achieve proficiency rates 3 to 4 times higher, illustrating the systemic challenges high-poverty schools face.

490

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,945

Per pupil spending ?

97.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2104 Gurley Ln
Waco, TX 76706-2832

(254) 753-6802

District: Waco Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend South Waco Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cesar Chavez Middle
High:	University High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.2%

Hispanic:

37.1%

White:

5.3%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare South Waco Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 5th 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 5 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg27%

Texas avg51%

4,616^th of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^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	2.9	4616 of 4627	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.0	4615 of 4651	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.9	4694 of 4710	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	4591 of 4647	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.4	4555 of 4581	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	4380 of 4578	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.5	3950 of 4479	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	3993 of 4359	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	16.4	3958 of 4329	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	10.0	4088 of 4286	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.3	4272 of 4320	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.2	4250 of 4260	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.4	4154 of 4221	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	14.0	4016 of 4206	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	27.7	3476 of 4095	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.6	3615 of 3937	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.6	3794 of 3884	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.0	3732 of 3768	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.2	3693 of 3724	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.8	3424 of 3476	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	5.1	3443 of 3475	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.4	3457 of 3465	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	2383 of 2406	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.3	1864 of 1905	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	2400 of 2443	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	2398 of 2443	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	2360 of 2421	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.3	2207 of 2444	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.2	1673 of 2515	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.1	2070 of 2483	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	9.9	4406 of 4461	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.0	4105 of 4331	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	3437 of 4295	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	3555 of 4240	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	43.5	942 of 1643	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.4	2491 of 2918	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	3434 of 3668	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	3197 of 3556	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	2181 of 3333	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	2394 of 3226	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	3.6	4562 of 4575	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.2	3678 of 3744	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.2	4619 of 4658	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.4	4489 of 4588	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.4	4522 of 4561	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.2	4318 of 4499	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	3793 of 4348	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	3778 of 4306	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	1.4	3062 of 3075	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.9	2581 of 2619	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.4	2970 of 2980	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	2799 of 2958	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	2951 of 3106	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	8.6	4350 of 4413	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.6	3603 of 3644	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	4391 of 4465	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	4326 of 4401	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.1	4300 of 4376	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.8	3907 of 4329	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.5	3056 of 4188	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.8	3476 of 4168	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	4.1	4505 of 4520	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.6	3683 of 3705	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	4546 of 4594	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.6	4457 of 4521	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.0	4441 of 4477	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	4134 of 4451	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.3	3437 of 4309	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	3680 of 4264	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	4.4	4556 of 4582	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.1	3722 of 3739	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.6	4610 of 4647	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	4534 of 4585	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.4	4546 of 4563	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.3	4274 of 4498	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.9	3802 of 4357	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	4065 of 4319	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	4255 of 4301	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.8	3032 of 3549	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.8	1719 of 4292	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	16.3	3942 of 4086	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	3421 of 3952	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.1	2637 of 3799	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.1	3437 of 3684	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.0	3172 of 3558	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	0.2	3006 of 3006	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	29.9	2408 of 3127	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)43rd percentile+42 vs school

Hispanic (2026)1st percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)1st percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)1st percentile~ school

African American (2026)1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

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

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

Female (2026)<1st percentile~ school

White (2026)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading19%-35 vs state

Mathematics10%-37 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate South Waco Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate South Waco Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near South Waco Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (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 Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
South Waco Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2104 Gurley Ln	Waco	76706	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 753-6802	490	27	18.1	97.1%	26 (5.3%)	251 (51.2%)	182 (37.1%)	9 (1.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.5%)	2.9	4616^th of 4627 public elementary schools	0.2%		5	4615^th of 4651 public elementary schools	0.8%	1							17.7	16.5	24.3	14.4	8.8	5.4	$9,945
Kendrick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1801 Kendrick Ln	Waco	76711	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 752-3316	479	33	14.4	90.4%	39 (8.1%)	89 (18.6%)	328 (68.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.0%)	7.4	4548^th of 4627 public elementary schools	1.7%		13.2	4368^th of 4651 public elementary schools	6.1%	180	0.0	0.0					22.1	23.6	35.3	18.1	17.8	22.1	$11,056
Bell's Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2100 Ross	Waco	76706	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 750-5100	786	50	15.7	95.5%	13 (1.7%)	41 (5.2%)	728 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	14.9	4298^th of 4627 public elementary schools	7.1%		23.9	3805^th of 4651 public elementary schools	18.2%	493	41.2	44.4	40.0	0.0	12.5	20.0	35.9	27.8	42.1	23.2	22.0	29.0	$9,114
Robinson Elementary	Public	2-3	151 Peplow	Robinson	76706	McLennan County	Robinson Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 662-5000	328	23	14.0	42.1%	192 (58.5%)	11 (3.4%)	107 (32.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.9%)								(n/a)							63.5			65.8			$8,882
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
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
Robinson Pri	Public	PK, KG-1	541 N Old Robinson Rd	Robinson	76706	McLennan County	Robinson Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 662-0251	389	25	15.2	43.7%	232 (59.6%)	12 (3.1%)	123 (31.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (4.9%)								(n/a)													$7,927
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
J H Hines Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Garrison St	Waco	76704	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 753-1362	379	19	19.4	98.4%	12 (3.2%)	262 (69.1%)	84 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.3%)	3.8	4605^th of 4627 public elementary schools	0.5%		4.6	4624^th of 4651 public elementary schools	0.6%	19							13.5	25.0	31.0	1.9	11.8	16.7	$10,235
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

Frequently Asked Questions about South Waco Elementary

What schools do graduates of South Waco Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Waco Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cesar Chavez Middle
High : University High School

What is the racial makeup of South Waco Elementary?

Students at South Waco Elementary are 51% African American, 37% Hispanic, 5% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend South Waco Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 490 students attended South Waco Elementary.

Is South Waco Elementary a good school?

South Waco Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Texas elementary schools.

What district is South Waco Elementary in?

Waco Independent School District (Isd)

Rate South Waco Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

TXTexas Elementary School Rankings

TXTexas District Rankings

Schools in Waco, TX

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for South Waco Elementary!

Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

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.