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South Waco Elementary

Q: Is South Waco Elementary a good school?

South Waco Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.8% 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

4615^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,651 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

South Waco Elementary is a public elementary school serving 477 students in grades PK-5 within the Waco Independent School District (ISD) in Texas. The school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in the state, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating significant challenges in student learning and achievement.

Despite spending more per student ($11,331 in 2020-2021) compared to the state average and having a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 14.4 in 2023-2024, South Waco Elementary has struggled to translate these resources into improved academic outcomes. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 9.52% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in reading, compared to 52.02% statewide and 30.28% for the Waco ISD. The school's performance on state assessments in reading, math, and science is consistently well below the state and district averages.

While other nearby schools in the Waco ISD, such as Bell's Hill Elementary and West Avenue Elementary, also face challenges with high poverty and low academic performance, they generally outperform South Waco Elementary on key metrics. This suggests that factors beyond just student demographics may be contributing to the school's persistent struggles, and a comprehensive, data-driven approach to school improvement may be necessary to drive meaningful progress.

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: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (12% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Mathematics scores 42 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg25%

Texas avg47%

4,615^th of 4,651

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 15Elementary Schools in the Waco Independent School District (Isd)

896^th of 961Waco 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)

White (2018)23rd percentile+15 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)15th percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2025)15th percentile+14 vs school

African American (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)1st percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Texas (2024-2025) ?

Reading22%-32 vs state

Science4%-25 vs state

Mathematics4%-42 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Waco Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				STAAR Spanish Reading (2025)			STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2025)			STAAR Spanish Science (2025)	STAAR Reading (2025)			STAAR Mathematics (2025)			STAAR Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 Spanish Science 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	STAAR Science 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%)	5	4615^th of 4651 public elementary schools	0.8%		3.9	4694^th of 4710 public elementary schools	0.3%	79								9.5	17.0	37.1	1.6	4.4	5.6	4.2	$9,945
Alta Vista Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3637 Alta Vista Dr	Waco	76706	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 662-3050	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%)	13.2	4368^th of 4651 public elementary schools	6.1%		7.4	4611^th of 4710 public elementary schools	2.1%	243								34.2	32.9	36.7	15.8	11.4	23.3	13.6	$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) 754-4171	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%)	23.9	3805^th of 4651 public elementary schools	18.2%		25.6	3741^st of 4710 public elementary schools	20.6%	64	21.4	20.0	16.7	27.3	20.0	0.0	0.0	39.8	37.5	52.3	27.6	25.7	26.4	13.6	$9,114
Kendrick Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	500 N University Parks Dr	Waco	76701	McLennan County	Waco Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(254) 752-3316	446	31	14.3	94.2%	18 (4.0%)	40 (9.0%)	380 (85.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	8.6	4528^th of 4651 public elementary schools	2.6%		10.9	4509^th of 4710 public elementary schools	4.3%	19	0.0			12.5				25.4	18.0	33.9	15.9	16.7	22.6	8.1	$10,924
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)								64.0			54.7				$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%)	15	4288^th of 4651 public elementary schools	7.8%		17	4216^th of 4710 public elementary schools	10.5%	72								32.4	25.6	51.7	14.7	16.3	24.1	13.8	$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%)	15.5	4258^th of 4651 public elementary schools	8.4%		15.6	4283^rd of 4710 public elementary schools	9.1%	25								23.1	41.0	28.6	26.9	26.2	23.8	11.1	$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%)	5.9	4594^th of 4651 public elementary schools	1.2%		19.1	4115^th of 4710 public elementary schools	12.6%	479	0.0			0.0				19.5	26.8	20.0	11.7	18.3	10.0	5.0	$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%)	4.6	4624^th of 4651 public elementary schools	0.6%		7.2	4619^th of 4710 public elementary schools	1.9%	5								24.5	17.3	17.8	11.3	11.5	11.1	2.2	$10,235

Frequently Asked Questions about South Waco Elementary

What district is South Waco Elementary in?

Waco Independent School District (Isd)

Is South Waco Elementary a good school?

South Waco Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.8% of Texas elementary schools.

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

How many students attend South Waco Elementary?

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

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.

Rate South Waco 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.