| Waxahachie Independent School District | |
| Motto: | "A district where innovation thrives and growth is limitless" |
| Location: | Waxahachie, Texas |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Established: | 1864 |
| Grades: | Prekindergarden - 12th grade |
| Superintendent: | Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth |
| Governing Agency: | Texas Education Agency |
| Students: | 10,095 |
| Teachers: | 566.8[1] |
| Staff: | 1,162.8 |
The Waxahachie Independent School District is a public school district located in Waxahachie, Texas, a suburban community serving as the county seat for Ellis County, which adjoins Dallas County to the north. Waxahachie ISD is a district of about 8,500 students[2] structured in 17 campuses: 10 elementary school campuses, three junior high campuses, three high school campuses, and one alternative-learning campus.
In 2012-13 and 2013–14, the school district and all campuses received the highest Texas Education Agency accountability rating of "Met Standard."[3] The district's fine arts programs are frequently state recognized in visual arts, band, choir, dance and theatre arts. WISD has been a consistent award winner and is designated as a NAMM Foundation Best Communities for Music Education designation, one of only 376 districts to receive the prestigious award.[4]
The district includes almost all of Waxahachie and parts of Ennis, Midlothian and Pecan Hill.[5]
| Subject | Waxahachie ISD | Region 10 | State of Texas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 79% | 74% | 73% | |
| Mathematics | 83% | 77% | 76% | |
| Writing | 75% | 71% | 69% | |
| Science | 81% | 80% | 79% | |
| Soc. Studies | 77% | 80% | 77% | |
| All Tests | 80% | 76% | 75% |
Students in Waxahachie typically outperform local region and statewide averages on standardized tests. In 2015-2016 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) results, 80% of students in Waxahachie ISD met Level II Satisfactory standards, compared with 76% in Region 10 and 75% in the state of Texas. The average SAT score of the class of 2015 was 1476, and the average ACT score was 22.6.
In the 2015-2016 school year, the school district had a total of 8,107 students, ranging from early childhood education and prekindergarten through grade 12. The class of 2015 included 545 graduates; the annual drop-out rate across grades 9-12 was 2.2%.
As of the 2015-2016 school year, the ethnic distribution of the school district was 49.7% White, 34.8% Hispanic, 11.8% African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2.7% from two or more races. Economically disadvantaged students made up 47.1% of the student body.