Top Rankings
Waco Independent School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Texas for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 6 public middle schools serving 3,340 students in Waco Independent School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 2/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in Texas.
Public Middle Schools in Waco Independent School District have an average math proficiency score of 23% (versus the Texas public middle school average of 40%), and reading proficiency score of 36% (versus the 52% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 91% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Texas public middle school average of 75% (majority Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (TX)
# Schools
23 Schools
2,747 Schools
# Students
13,487 Students
1,489,538 Students
# Teachers
967 Teachers
103,135 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
14:1
14:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
Waco Independent School District, which is ranked #1083 of all 1,196 school districts in Texas (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 80% has increased from 75% over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#1111 out of 1204 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
(Bottom 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
23%
41%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
31%
51%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
23%
46%
Graduation Rate
80%
90%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.54
0.64
% American Indian
n/a
n/a
% Asian
n/a
5%
% Hispanic
62%
53%
% Black
27%
13%
% White
8%
26%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
3%
3%
All Ethnic Groups
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $15,303 is higher than the state median of $13,387. The school district revenue/student has grown by 6% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $14,476 is higher than the state median of $14,116. The school district spending/student has grown by 6% over four school years.
Total Revenue
$206 MM
$74,029 MM
Spending
$195 MM
$78,063 MM
Revenue / Student
$15,303
$13,387
Spending / Student
$14,476
$14,116
Best Waco Independent School District Public Middle Schools (2025)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Lake Air Montessori School
Magnet School
(Math: 33% | Reading: 45%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
4601 Cobbs Dr
Waco, TX 76710
(254) 772-1910
Waco, TX 76710
(254) 772-1910
Grades: PK-8
| 711 students
Rank: #22.
Tennyson Middle School
(Math: 32% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
6100 Tennyson Dr
Waco, TX 76710
(254) 772-1440
Waco, TX 76710
(254) 772-1440
Grades: 6-8
| 947 students
Rank: #33.
Bill Logue Detention Center
Alternative School
(Math: ≤20% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
2601 Gholson Rd
Waco, TX 76704
(254) 754-0803
Waco, TX 76704
(254) 754-0803
Grades: 7-12
| 16 students
Rank: #44.
Cesar Chavez Middle School
(Math: 17% | Reading: 32%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
700 S 15th St
Waco, TX 76706
(254) 750-3736
Waco, TX 76706
(254) 750-3736
Grades: 6-8
| 813 students
Rank: #55.
G W Carver Middle School
Charter School
(Math: 14% | Reading: 27%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
1601 J J Flewellen Rd
Waco, TX 76704
(254) 754-5491
Waco, TX 76704
(254) 754-5491
Grades: 6-8
| 776 students
Rank: #66.
G L Wiley Opportunity Center
Alternative School
(Math: ≤5% | Reading: 10-14%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
1030 E Live Oak St
Waco, TX 76704
(254) 757-3829
Waco, TX 76704
(254) 757-3829
Grades: 1-12
| 77 students
Recent Articles
Parents’ Guide to Special Education
Special education law is not easy to decipher, with several regulations that govern special education services for disabled students. In this article, learn about the core components of the laws, rights, and individual education plans that can help create the best public school environment for your child.
Surveillance Cameras: Violation of Rights or Improved Security?
A school district in Virginia has given the green light to schools that want to install surveillance cameras in common areas like cafeterias and hallways. We’ll look at whether this is a violation of student privacy or the best way to keep order in schools.
Teachers in 19 States Allowed to Physically Punish Students
As of 2014, nineteen states still allow corporal punishment – spanking and paddling the most common choices – in their public schools. However, some argue that not only are these punishments physically harmful, they also are disproportionately administered to students of color. As a result, House democrats have taken up the issue in a new bill that would ban all forms of corporal punishment nationwide.
