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1 / 25#25. University High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Waco Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 1,678 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
Best high schools in the Waco metro area
According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.
To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.
Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.
Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.
With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Waco metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.
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2 / 25#24. Hillsboro High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Hillsboro Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 604 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
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3 / 25#23. Chilton School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chilton, TX
- Enrollment: 553 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
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4 / 25#22. Mexia High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Mexia Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 553 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
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5 / 25#21. Premier High School - Waco
- School type: Public School
- Location: Premier High Schools, TX
- Enrollment: 156 (31:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
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6 / 25#20. Mart High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Mart Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 242 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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7 / 25#19. Bynum School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Bynum, TX
- Enrollment: 189 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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8 / 25#18. Abbott Independent School District
- School type: Public School
- Location: Abbott, TX
- Enrollment: 286 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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9 / 25#17. Valley Mills High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Valley Mills Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 204 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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10 / 25#16. McGregor High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: McGregor Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 418 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
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11 / 25#15. China Spring High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: China Spring Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 948 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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12 / 25#14. Riesel School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Riesel Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 327 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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13 / 25#13. Paul & Jane Meyer Public High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Rapoport Academy Public School, TX
- Enrollment: 211 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
14 / 25#12. Groesbeck High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Groesbeck Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 458 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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15 / 25#11. Dawson High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Dawson Independent School District (Dawson), TX
- Enrollment: 265 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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16 / 25#10. Clifton High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Clifton Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 312 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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17 / 25#9. Eagle Christian Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Waco, TX
- Enrollment: 170 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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18 / 25#8. Lorena High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Lorena Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 512 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. Bremond High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Bremond Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 145 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
20 / 25#6. Bosqueville Secondary School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Bosqueville Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 218 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
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21 / 25#5. Crawford High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Crawford Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 319 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock
22 / 25#4. Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Waco, TX
- Enrollment: 286 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
maroke // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. Live Oak Classical School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Waco, TX
- Enrollment: 472 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
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24 / 25#2. Midway High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Midway Independent School District, TX
- Enrollment: 2,648 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock
25 / 25#1. Vanguard College Preparatory School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Waco, TX
- Enrollment: 300 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.
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