University High School
- High school in Waco ISD
- Waco, TX
- 9th grade - 12th grade
Accountability rating (2023-2024)
N/A
Waco ISD: N/A
Total students
1,749
Avg. teacher experience
10.6 years
Waco ISD: 9.4 years
Statewide: 11.1 years
Four-year graduation rate
88.7 %
Waco ISD: 86%
Statewide: 90.3%
University High School is a high school in Waco, TX, in the Waco ISD school district. As of the 2023-2024 school year, it had 1,749 students. 70.4% of students were considered at risk of dropping out of school. 23% of students were enrolled in bilingual and English language learning programs.
The school received an accountability rating of None for the 2023-2024 school year.
In the Class of 2023, 88.7% of students received their high school diplomas on time or earlier. The dropout rate for students in grades 9-12 was 2.8% during the 2022-2023 school year.
The average SAT score at University High School was 843 for 2022-2023 graduates. The average ACT score was 19.9.
As of the 2023-2024 school year, an average teacher's salary was $60,759, which is $1,715 less than the state average. On average, teachers had 10.6 years of experience.
Take our public schools explorer surveyContact information
Principal
- Qunisha Johnson
- alonzo.mcadoo@wacoisd.org
- (254) 756-1843
Higher Ed Outcomes
Students in University High School are part of the Texas Education Agency’s Region 12. Students who started eighth grade in 2011 in this region had a college graduation rate of 22.0 percent. View a more comprehensive breakdown of the higher education outcomes in Region 12.
Demographics
Race and ethnicity
Total students
1,749
African American
354 (20.2%)
Waco ISD: 27.3%
Statewide: 12.8%
American Indian
4 (0.2%)
Waco ISD: 0.2%
Statewide: 0.3%
Asian
2 (0.1%)
Waco ISD: 0.3%
Statewide: 5.4%
Hispanic
1,295 (74%)
Waco ISD: 61.8%
Statewide: 53.2%
Pacific Islander
2 (0.1%)
Waco ISD: 0%
Statewide: 0.2%
White
70 (4%)
Waco ISD: 7.8%
Statewide: 25%
Two or more races
22 (1.3%)
Waco ISD: 2.6%
Statewide: 3.1%
Risk factors
A student is identified as being at risk of dropping out of school based on state-defined criteria. A student is defined as "economically disadvantaged" if he or she is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or other public assistance.
At-risk students
70.4 %
Waco ISD: 76.4%
Statewide: 53.2%
Economically disadvantaged
89.2 %
Waco ISD: 90.2%
Statewide: 62.3%
Limited English proficiency
23 %
Waco ISD: 25.5%
Statewide: 24.4%
Enrollment by program
A look at the percentage of students enrolled in certain programs offered at schools for the 2023-2024 school year. A student can be enrolled in more than one program.
Bilingual/ESL
23 %
Waco ISD: 25.1%
Statewide: 24.5%
Gifted and Talented
10.6 %
Waco ISD: 10%
Statewide: 8.5%
Special Education
11.5 %
Waco ISD: 16.3%
Statewide: 13.9%
Academics
Accountability ratings
Texas assigns ratings to districts and campuses that designate their performance in relation to the state's accountability system.
Overall (2023-2024)
N/A
Waco ISD: N/A
Student achievement (2023-2024)
N/A
Waco ISD: N/A
School progress (2023-2024)
N/A
Waco ISD: N/A
Closing the gaps (2023-2024)
N/A
Waco ISD: N/A
The overall grades are based on three categories: student achievement (how well students perform academically), school progress (how well students perform over time and compared to students in similar schools) and closing the gaps (how well schools are boosting performance for subgroups such as students with special needs).
For a detailed explanation of this year’s accountability system, see the 2024 Accountability Manual.
Four-year graduation rates
The percentage of students who started ninth grade in 2019-2020 and received a high school diploma on time — by Aug. 31, 2023. Learn more about how four-year graduation rates are defined.
All students
88.7 %
Waco ISD: 86%
Statewide: 90.3%
African American
82.9 %
Waco ISD: 81.4%
Statewide: 86.7%
American Indian
Masked
Waco ISD: Masked
Statewide: 89.3%
Asian
N/A
Waco ISD: 100%
Statewide: 96.9%
Hispanic
91.6 %
Waco ISD: 87.9%
Statewide: 88.6%
Pacific Islander
N/A
Waco ISD: N/A
Statewide: 88.3%
White
68.2 %
Waco ISD: 83.5%
Statewide: 94.2%
Two or more races
Masked
Waco ISD: 90.9%
Statewide: 91.7%
Dropout rates
The dropout rate for students in grades 9-12 during the 2022-2023 school year. It is calculated by dividing the number of dropouts by the number of students who were in attendance at any time during the school year.
All students
2.8 %
Waco ISD: 3.7%
Statewide: 2%
African American
3.1 %
Waco ISD: 4.9%
Statewide: 3.2%
American Indian
0 %
Waco ISD: 0%
Statewide: 2.3%
Asian
Masked
Waco ISD: 0%
Statewide: 0.5%
Hispanic
2.8 %
Waco ISD: 3.2%
Statewide: 2.4%
Pacific Islander
Masked
Waco ISD: Masked
Statewide: 1.8%
White
3.6 %
Waco ISD: 3.8%
Statewide: 1%
Two or more races
0 %
Waco ISD: 4.5%
Statewide: 1.7%
Chronic absenteeism
The chronic absenteeism rate for students during the 2022-2023 school year. It measures the number of students who were absent for at least ten percent of the school year.
All students
39.9 %
Waco ISD: 30%
Statewide: 20.3%
African American
43.2 %
Waco ISD: 35.6%
Statewide: 24.8%
American Indian
20 %
Waco ISD: 38.1%
Statewide: 21.3%
Asian
Masked
Waco ISD: 18.4%
Statewide: 7.6%
Hispanic
39 %
Waco ISD: 27.7%
Statewide: 23.2%
Pacific Islander
Masked
Waco ISD: 0%
Statewide: 23.7%
White
39.5 %
Waco ISD: 26.9%
Statewide: 14.5%
Two or more races
47.8 %
Waco ISD: 36.2%
Statewide: 18.7%
College readiness
AP/IB participation
The percentage of students in grades 11 and 12 taking at least one Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam in any subject during the 2022-2023 school year.
All students
21.6 %
Waco ISD: 17.8%
Statewide: 24.2%
African American
15.6 %
Waco ISD: 9.8%
Statewide: 15.9%
American Indian
Masked
Waco ISD: Masked
Statewide: 19.8%
Asian
N/A
Waco ISD: 50%
Statewide: 61.5%
Hispanic
22.2 %
Waco ISD: 18.3%
Statewide: 21.4%
Pacific Islander
N/A
Waco ISD: Masked
Statewide: 19.5%
White
26.7 %
Waco ISD: 38.4%
Statewide: 26.3%
Two or more races
37.5 %
Waco ISD: 18.2%
Statewide: 26.9%
AP/IB performance
The percentage of test-taking students in grades 11 and 12 who passed at least one AP or IB exam in the 2022-2023 school year. A passing score on the AP exam is a 3, 4 or 5. On an IB exam, it is a 4, 5, 6 or 7.
All students
21.7 %
Waco ISD: 29.2%
Statewide: 53.3%
African American
10.5 %
Waco ISD: 14.6%
Statewide: 34.1%
American Indian
Masked
Waco ISD: Masked
Statewide: 53.6%
Asian
N/A
Waco ISD: Masked
Statewide: 79.5%
Hispanic
22.5 %
Waco ISD: 27.4%
Statewide: 39.9%
Pacific Islander
N/A
Waco ISD: N/A
Statewide: 47.4%
White
50 %
Waco ISD: 47.9%
Statewide: 67%
Two or more races
Masked
Waco ISD: Masked
Statewide: 66%
SAT
The average SAT score for students graduating in 2022-2023, with critical reading, writing and mathematics results combined. The maximum score is 2400. For the small percentage of students who took the redesigned SAT with a maximum score of 1600, their scores were converted to the equivalent scores on the previous SAT using College Board concordance tables.
Avg. SAT score
843
Waco ISD: 844
Statewide: 978
ACT
The average ACT composite score for students graduating in 2022-2023. The maximum score is 36.
Avg. ACT score
19.9
Waco ISD: 23.1
Statewide: 19.2
College-ready graduates
A graduate is considered college ready in Reading or Math if he or she has met or exceeded the college-ready criteria on the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) test, the SAT or the ACT test. These figures are for students graduating in 2022-2023.
Reading
64.2 %
Waco ISD: 51.7%
Statewide: 62.8%
Math
53.6 %
Waco ISD: 44%
Statewide: 54.3%
Reading + Math
39.3 %
Waco ISD: 32.9%
Statewide: 48.4%
Staff
Teacher ethnicities
These figures are expressed as a percentage of the total teacher full-time equivalent (FTE) as of the 2023-2024 school year.
Total teacher FTEs
113.6
African American
15.1 (13.3%)
Waco ISD: 14.5%
Statewide: 12.6%
American Indian
0 (0%)
Waco ISD: 0.2%
Statewide: 0.3%
Asian
0 (0%)
Waco ISD: 0.7%
Statewide: 2.1%
Hispanic
29.8 (26.2%)
Waco ISD: 25.3%
Statewide: 30.1%
Pacific Islander
0 (0%)
Waco ISD: 0.1%
Statewide: 0.1%
White
63.8 (56.2%)
Waco ISD: 57.1%
Statewide: 53.4%
Two or more races
4.8 (4.3%)
Waco ISD: 2%
Statewide: 1.3%
Highest degree held by teachers
These figures are expressed as a percentage of the total teacher full-time equivalent.
No degree
6 (5.3%)
Waco ISD: 3.8%
Statewide: 2.5%
Bachelor's
78.5 (69.2%)
Waco ISD: 75.3%
Statewide: 71.7%
Master's
27.9 (24.6%)
Waco ISD: 19.9%
Statewide: 24.9%
Doctorate
1.1 (1%)
Waco ISD: 1%
Statewide: 0.8%
Students per teacher
The total number of students divided by the total full-time equivalent count of teachers for 2023-2024.
Students per teacher
15.4
Waco ISD: 13.7
Statewide: 14.7
Teacher experience
This figure for the 2023-2024 school year refers to tenure — the number of years a teacher has been employed in any district, whether or not there was an interruption in service.
Avg. teacher experience
10.6 years
Waco ISD: 9.4 years
Statewide: 11.1 years
Teacher salaries
The average salaries listed here are for regular duties only and do not include supplemental pay. For teachers who also have nonteaching roles, only the portion of time and pay dedicated to classroom responsibilities is factored into the calculation.
Base average
$60,759
Waco ISD: $58,513
Statewide: $62,474
Beginner
$57,948
Waco ISD: $50,336
Statewide: $54,272
1 to 5 years
$57,940
Waco ISD: $55,821
Statewide: $58,185
6 to 10 years
$57,635
Waco ISD: $58,885
Statewide: $61,494
11 to 20 years
$63,755
Waco ISD: $62,663
Statewide: $65,219
21 to 30 years
$67,742
Waco ISD: $64,641
Statewide: $69,723
30+ years
$71,466
Waco ISD: $68,168
Statewide: $74,014