So my wife and I have begun slowly talking about possibly moving to Waco. I was born and raised there and have always said I would never move back because I love living in bigger areas. We are in Keller now but we have a 3 month old and have no family here besides an cousin who isnt super close to where we are. My wife is from Missouri and my mom still lives in Waco. We both work full time so our kid is already in Day care which sucks from a financial standpoint as we dont have family here who could watch her.

I am in Waco a ton for games throughout the year obviously and God only knows how much gas money I spend annually driving back and forth, especially for basketball games. So moving to Waco has multiple benefits, especially financially. My wife is a nurse with Baylor Scott and White so she could easily transfer to Hilcrest and I have discussed my role with my manager who supports me becoming either fully remote or if needed, move to a 1 day in the office if the firm really wanted me there which id be ok with as im already commuting over an hour each way 3 days a week.

Anyways, I have not lived in Waco since I graduated HS. I went to La Vega and have no desire for my kid to do the same. Nor Connally. Private School isnt really an option for us right now to plan for, nor do I really want to pay taxes and pay for her to go to a private school, so I am curious what school districts are best and why around Waco. I know Midway area is always praised but what else? Oh and no to Waco ISD. Part of me, a big part of me, still hates China Spring as I am a Pirate despite hating La Vega itself so not sure I mentally could live there but it isnt out of the question.

So anyways, if a couple in their 30s with a kid wanted to move to Waco and their top end of the house budget is about 400k, where should they look? Mostly wondering about schools right now but area of town will always matter. Dont want to be more than like 20ish minutes from my mom, as she would watch the kid, and she lives in the Timbercrest area in Waco off of Orchard Lane/ not too far from McLane. So anything further than 20-25 mins really isnt of interest right now.

Thanks!!!!

McLennan County has a cafeteria list of choices of "good enough" schools. Really depends on what else you want re: location, socially, culturally, extra curriculars, etc.

Midway (large, well-funded, well run 6A school)
China Spring (high quality 4A, not really small town anymore, but nowhere near the size of a Midway)
Lorena (high quality 3A, if you prefer the blackland prairie)
Robinson (if you're a little more redneck)
Crawford (if you don't mind swimming in a tiny pond)
Bosqueville (see Crawford)
Axtell (see Bosqueville)

I am also from Waco and went to Robinson. My husband went to Midway. My kids grew up in Garland ISD, but I have many family members who went to Robinson, Lorena, and McGregor. We currently live in McGregor ISD, it is an up and coming school district, good people. There are nice neighborhoods outside of "town."

If we would have raised our kids here, they would have likely either gone to Lorena or Midway. Midway for all the opportunities, Lorena for the small town feel.

BUAlum97 said:

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I am also from Waco and went to Robinson. My husband went to Midway. My kids grew up in Garland ISD, but I have many family members who went to Robinson, Lorena, and McGregor. We currently live in McGregor ISD, it is an up and coming school district, good people. There are nice neighborhoods outside of "town."

If we would have raised our kids here, they would have likely either gone to Lorena or Midway. Midway for all the opportunities, Lorena for the small town feel.

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yea mcgregor is further out than we would want plus not listening to rockets all day

I'm trying to think of where some of these ISDs could be by the time a 3mo baby is in public school.

I'm also couching my answer as to whether or not being around primarily upper middle class white people is on your list. Not looking for an answer, because sometimes that's a positive and sometimes it's a negative.

I'll dispense with the obvious caveats that Texas hates public schooling and is trying to kill it as a political jape. With that in mind, your obvious candidate is Midway ISD. Six to ten years from now, it will almost certainly be a very different school system.

Likewise, China Spring. Solid second choice, but could easily become a forgotten burgh that young couples tried out until they got established, then transferred to Plano. Sort of standing at an inflection point right now.

Waco ISD has a lot going for it while trying to shed an image it deserved 20 years ago. There are tons of internal options, and it has very liberal transfer policies if you're not in the strict attendance zone for your middle or high school choices.

I think you'll likely end up choosing between China, Robinson, Lorena, and Bosqueville based on the criteria you put out in the OP. All have their unique pros/cons but you'll just have to dive into them and pick the one you think is best for you & your family......Good Luck.

Delmar 2.0 said:

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I think you'll likely end up choosing between China, Robinson, Lorena, and Bosqueville based on the criteria you put out in the OP. All have their unique pros/cons but you'll just have to dive into them and pick the one you think is best for you & your family......Good Luck.

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my 17-3A heart is not liking 3 of those suggestions lol

BUAlum97 said:

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I am also from Waco and went to Robinson. My husband went to Midway. My kids grew up in Garland ISD, but I have many family members who went to Robinson, Lorena, and McGregor. We currently live in McGregor ISD, it is an up and coming school district, good people. There are nice neighborhoods outside of "town."

If we would have raised our kids here, they would have likely either gone to Lorena or Midway. Midway for all the opportunities, Lorena for the small town feel.

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Lorena small enough they'll know most in their class and they can play multiple sports. Midway they'll be better prepared for college and probably limited to one sport.

Robinson, Lorena, and Midway are your best options. I've got a kid at one of the Midway ISD elementary schools, and it has been a great experience for her. Midway is a big enough school district that you'll likely have plenty of homes and neighborhoods to choose from at your price point. Even with rising property valuations, my four bedroom house in the Hewitt area is still worth quite a bit less than your max budget.

ARbear13 said:

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Robinson, Lorena, and Midway are your best options. I've got a kid at one of the Midway ISD elementary schools, and it has been a great experience for her. Midway is a big enough school district that you'll likely have plenty of homes and neighborhoods to choose from at your price point. Even with rising property valuations, my four bedroom house in the Hewitt area is still worth quite a bit less than your max budget.

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thanks. that is kinda what ive seen in my quick research on zillow. We currently have a 2.6% rate on our mortgage so gonna suck to give that up if we move but hopefully can find a decent enough deal to soften the blow if we pull the trigger

I went to Robinson and live in their school district. Its fine, but kids will attend Vanguard assuming they allow us to pay them money

BaylorHistory said:

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T-REX said:

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Delmar 2.0 said:

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I think you'll likely end up choosing between China, Robinson, Lorena, and Bosqueville based on the criteria you put out in the OP. All have their unique pros/cons but you'll just have to dive into them and pick the one you think is best for you & your family......Good Luck.

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my 17-3A heart is not liking 3 of those suggestions lol

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Send them to La Vega, toughen them up, top of the class, win at sports, and they have legacy status.

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literally me haha

Choosing a school depends on what you and your kids are looking for in a school. Midway, which is the district in which I reside, has good academics plus they have a lot of extracurricular activities. If sports participation is important it will be good if your child excels in sports. Due to its size though you have to be really good at sports though. The majority of 3A athletes would not make their varsity.

China Spring has a good reputation academically too. It is smaller, but it is growing rapidly. It feels like you are far away from everything. The celebration that happens there when they get an HEB will be measurable on the Richter scale.

I have heard good things about Lorena. I know a college sophomore that went there. She got into both Baylor and A&M. She broke her family's heart by not being the third generation to go to Baylor. My understanding is that you can get a good education if you want it there. It is a smaller district.

I would say Midway is your best bet academically, but it is not for everyone. Also, you should have no problem buying a house in Midway with 400k. I have a 2k sq. foot house that cost me 330k when the market was crazy three years ago.

BaylorHistory said:

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T-REX said:

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Delmar 2.0 said:

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I think you'll likely end up choosing between China, Robinson, Lorena, and Bosqueville based on the criteria you put out in the OP. All have their unique pros/cons but you'll just have to dive into them and pick the one you think is best for you & your family......Good Luck.

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my 17-3A heart is not liking 3 of those suggestions lol

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Send them to La Vega, toughen them up, top of the class, win at sports, and they have legacy status.

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For the right kid, not a bad plan.

As with all of these scenarios, it really depends on your kid. And you won't know **** about that for a long time. So don't stress it too much.

I would recommend China Spring or Lorena. Again, this is looking to when your kids will be in middle and high school. I think Midway you're buying high / selling low whereas the others are buying on the upswing.

RightRevBear said:

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Choosing a school depends on what you and your kids are looking for in a school. Midway, which is the district in which I reside, has good academics plus they have a lot of extracurricular activities. If sports participation is important it will be good if your child excels in sports. Due to its size though you have to be really good at sports though. The majority of 3A athletes would not make their varsity.

China Spring has a good reputation academically too. It is smaller, but it is growing rapidly. It feels like you are far away from everything. The celebration that happens there when they get an HEB will be measurable on the Richter scale.

I have heard good things about Lorena. I know a college sophomore that went there. She got into both Baylor and A&M. She broke her family's heart by not being the third generation to go to Baylor. My understanding is that you can get a good education if you want it there. It is a smaller district.

I would say Midway is your best bet academically, but it is not for everyone. Also, you should have no problem buying a house in Midway with 400k. I have a 2k sq. foot house that cost me 330k when the market was crazy three years ago.

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thanks. Pretty much would love to keep a similar mortgage payment that we have now. Higher interest rate vs what we got in 2020 on a VA loan gonna hurt lol

baylor88bear said:

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T-REX. I don't live in Waco but what I can say is you will have peace of mind having your mother watch your child. I know when my mother watched my children at that age it was awesome

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Thankfully we found an amazing christian based day care in our area and so far it has been great! It isnt really a peace of mind thing for us but rather it would be nice not to pay almost $300 a week for 3 days of day care. Thats 12k+ extra a year I could be putting into her 529

Waco ISD: Hillcrest PDS or Lake Air Montessori for elementary, Tennyson's Atlas Academy for middle, then decide what you want to do for high school (stay in Waco for advanced academics and arts or transfer to any other public around the county). This allows you to buy one of the condos right next to Foster and walk/bike to all athletic events.

UrsinusInfction said:

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Waco ISD: Hillcrest PDS or Lake Air Montessori for elementary, Tennyson's Atlas Academy for middle, then decide what you want to do for high school (stay in Waco for advanced academics and arts or transfer to any other public around the county). This allows you to buy one of the condos right next to Foster and walk/bike to all athletic events.

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0 desire to buy a condo. I enjoy having a house

4th and Inches said:

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School choice funds portal opens in january. Dont take private off the list too fast.

It wont pay for vangard but it will pay for most of a year at many of the private schools in Waco.

Once your kid is accepted in the funding, it stays with them as long as they go to a private school that accepts the funding protocols all the way thru 12th grade. If you only use 8k in early years(10k per yesr allotment) the balance stays in account to help with high school years which are more expensive.

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thanks for the info

T-REX said:

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4th and Inches said:

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School choice funds portal opens in january. Dont take private off the list too fast.

It wont pay for vangard but it will pay for most of a year at many of the private schools in Waco.

Once your kid is accepted in the funding, it stays with them as long as they go to a private school that accepts the funding protocols all the way thru 12th grade. If you only use 8k in early years(10k per yesr allotment) the balance stays in account to help with high school years which are more expensive.

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thanks for the info

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More details
https://texasprivateschools.org/families/school-choice/

Send her to St. Paul's for Pre-K and Kinder and then decide from there whether you want to move forward with your home ISD or stay private. That's what we did. We stayed private. Finishing our 15th and final year at St. Paul's with our youngest. 6 years with our oldest two at Vanguard since they finished 6th at St. Paul's. We've had a lot of peace of mind in those two environments. Not for everyone, but we've been at peace with it.

St. Paul's.......blast from the past : )

GoldenBear03 said:

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Send her to St. Paul's for Pre-K and Kinder and then decide from there whether you want to move forward with your home ISD or stay private. That's what we did. We stayed private. Finishing our 15th and final year at St. Paul's with our youngest. 6 years with our oldest two at Vanguard since they finished 6th at St. Paul's. We've had a lot of peace of mind in those two environments. Not for everyone, but we've been at peace with it.

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Both of my kids have been at SPES since the ETs. We have had a great experience.

Focus on which schools have the highest % of students at or above grade level for reading & math in the past 12 years. Those numbers should give you an idea as to the long-term commitment/success of that school.

In a state where I once lived, the Department of Corrections based its long-term housing needs on the % of children who are not reading at grade level in the 3rd grade. Let that sink in.

Kids need a high level of expectation/support/accountability from parents, school staff and peers. Children rarely rise above low standards in schools.

T-REX said:

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ARbear13 said:

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Robinson, Lorena, and Midway are your best options. I've got a kid at one of the Midway ISD elementary schools, and it has been a great experience for her. Midway is a big enough school district that you'll likely have plenty of homes and neighborhoods to choose from at your price point. Even with rising property valuations, my four bedroom house in the Hewitt area is still worth quite a bit less than your max budget.

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thanks. that is kinda what ive seen in my quick research on zillow. We currently have a 2.6% rate on our mortgage so gonna suck to give that up if we move but hopefully can find a decent enough deal to soften the blow if we pull the trigger

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I'm in CS, graduate from Lorena.

Lorena and Robinson can't pass a bind to save their lives right now. Lorena is about to explode with all the homes being built outside of city jurisdiction but within the ISD.

Of the four originally listed, I'd say Bosqueville for size and proximity, CS, Lorena dnd then Robinson.

I would do bird streets in Woodway. Close to HEB/Walmart and walking to events at Arboretum. Easy Bosque access to Highway 6 or other West Waco locations like airport, ridgewood, Target, Moroso, etc. and quick to Highway 84 via estates. These would all be renovation projects unless a recently flipped is on Market.

Woodway elementary has good reputation. Junior High would be River Valley which is a little inconvenient directionally, but not too bad. It seems like it would be like Lorena and China Spring in demographics with a few more affluent kids whose parents didn't choose one of the privates. You want your kid around other smart kids that come from smart families which filter into River Valley and you want them exposed to some larger population so they don't grow up in a bubble.

High School would be 13? years from now and a lot can change. You will either be aligned to Midway High which exposes your kid to strong competition academically and in extra curriculars with a ton of options. Huge pond that is more representative to most colleges and great diversity exposure. If by then the "baseball" Midway is built on West side then you are looking at River Valley type high school.

Localbear said:

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I would do bird streets in Woodway. Close to HEB/Walmart and walking to events at Arboretum. Easy Bosque access to Highway 6 or other West Waco locations like airport, ridgewood, Target, Moroso, etc. and quick to Highway 84 via estates. These would all be renovation projects unless a recently flipped is on Market.

Woodway elementary has good reputation. Junior High would be River Valley which is a little inconvenient directionally, but not too bad. It seems like it would be like Lorena and China Spring in demographics with a few more affluent kids whose parents didn't choose one of the privates. You want your kid around other smart kids that come from smart families which filter into River Valley and you want them exposed to some larger population so they don't grow up in a bubble.

High School would be 13? years from now and a lot can change. You will either be aligned to Midway High which exposes your kid to strong competition academically and in extra curriculars with a ton of options. Huge pond that is more representative to most colleges and great diversity exposure. If by then the "baseball" Midway is built on West side then you are looking at River Valley type high school.

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thanks but no desire to purchase a home requiring a reno. Not our thing and dont have time for it. Much rather live in a newer build that is ready to go.

T-REX said:

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Localbear said:

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I would do bird streets in Woodway. Close to HEB/Walmart and walking to events at Arboretum. Easy Bosque access to Highway 6 or other West Waco locations like airport, ridgewood, Target, Moroso, etc. and quick to Highway 84 via estates. These would all be renovation projects unless a recently flipped is on Market.

Woodway elementary has good reputation. Junior High would be River Valley which is a little inconvenient directionally, but not too bad. It seems like it would be like Lorena and China Spring in demographics with a few more affluent kids whose parents didn't choose one of the privates. You want your kid around other smart kids that come from smart families which filter into River Valley and you want them exposed to some larger population so they don't grow up in a bubble.

High School would be 13? years from now and a lot can change. You will either be aligned to Midway High which exposes your kid to strong competition academically and in extra curriculars with a ton of options. Huge pond that is more representative to most colleges and great diversity exposure. If by then the "baseball" Midway is built on West side then you are looking at River Valley type high school.

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thanks but no desire to purchase a home requiring a reno. Not our thing and dont have time for it. Much rather live in a newer build that is ready to go.

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I grew up on and later bought on the bird streets in Woodway. Having bought and sold there, I can you the house prices are inflated there. Many will require updates and if they have been made they will likely be around $400k or more depending on size.

With your mom being near or off Orchard, I would think Robinson would be your best bet as far as proximity to her, plus there are some newer subdivisions there.

There are a lot of fairly new subdivisions off Ritchie Road that I think are in Midway ISD. Many are spec homes built by DR Horton or Stylecraft.

If you need a good realtor, shoot me a DM (I'm not a realtor but know several).

FirmBear24 said:

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T-REX said:

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Localbear said:

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I would do bird streets in Woodway. Close to HEB/Walmart and walking to events at Arboretum. Easy Bosque access to Highway 6 or other West Waco locations like airport, ridgewood, Target, Moroso, etc. and quick to Highway 84 via estates. These would all be renovation projects unless a recently flipped is on Market.

Woodway elementary has good reputation. Junior High would be River Valley which is a little inconvenient directionally, but not too bad. It seems like it would be like Lorena and China Spring in demographics with a few more affluent kids whose parents didn't choose one of the privates. You want your kid around other smart kids that come from smart families which filter into River Valley and you want them exposed to some larger population so they don't grow up in a bubble.

High School would be 13? years from now and a lot can change. You will either be aligned to Midway High which exposes your kid to strong competition academically and in extra curriculars with a ton of options. Huge pond that is more representative to most colleges and great diversity exposure. If by then the "baseball" Midway is built on West side then you are looking at River Valley type high school.

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thanks but no desire to purchase a home requiring a reno. Not our thing and dont have time for it. Much rather live in a newer build that is ready to go.

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I grew up on and later bought on the bird streets in Woodway. Having bought and sold there, I can you the house prices are inflated there. Many will require updates and if they have been made they will likely be around $400k or more depending on size.

With your mom being near or off Orchard, I would think Robinson would be your best bet as far as proximity to her, plus there are some newer subdivisions there.

There are a lot of fairly new subdivisions off Ritchie Road that I think are in Midway ISD. Many are spec homes built by DR Horton or Stylecraft.

If you need a good realtor, shoot me a DM (I'm not a realtor but know several).

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thanks. Being super close to my mom isnt a necessity. 20-25mins max would be the hope. Dont want to end up living somewhere we dont want to live just to save 5 mins

My wife and I were exactly in your situation almost 20 years ago. We moved back from Dallas for several reasons, but one was to be closer to family and that allowed my mom to care for our son instead of daycare. It proved to be a wonderful experience for both my son and mom. If your mom lives in the Timbercrest area, then living in the west side of town near easy access to Highway 6 would make for a really easy commute to her house plus either Providence or Baylor Scott/White for your wife. That rules out China Spring, which has no direct routes to any of those locations.

Our first house was in WISD and we (like FirmBear24) sent my son to St. Paul's. No one does elementary education like the Episcopals. We could have transferred him to Midway anytime after 1st grade because my wife got a teaching job there, but the overall education and spiritual formation was such a good fit we kept him there through 6th grade. Keep that school in the back of your mind if you ever decide private school is an option. From there the best private in town is Vanguard by far. I taught there for many years.

From the west side of town near the hospitals and easy access to I35 and Timbercrest you have the options of Robinson, Lorena, and Midway. My personal opinion is Midway is by far the best option if your are looking for the best public school academic opportunities combined with high level sports/fine arts and other extracurriculars. Midway's size allows them to offer more advanced classes and CTE education. I also personally like the high level of competition in athletics and would rather my son play on the 6A level. My son thrived in this environment and has a group of 15-20 friends for life that all came from great homes and families. He became an all-state athlete and National Merit because of the opportunities at Midway and their excellent staff and leadership. The community is very strong and the boys all went to the Wed. night and Sun. night activities at FBC Woodway. That church is too conservative for us on Sun. morning, but their Youth Ministry is great and contributes to the community feel of MISD.

There are many neighborhoods in your price range in the district. Some are new homes, and some are older that need updating like FirmBear24 said. Don't worry about a supposed new high school that will split the district in the short term or probably the medium term. I had a conversation with Rick Tullis of the Midway board this summer (he is probably going to be the next county judge as well) and Midway is surprised at the latest attendance numbers slowing down in the elementary levels. MHS is a medium size 6A and it is extremely expensive to build a new high school. Contrary to what people say, there is no land owned by Midway that could support a new high school. No one wants to split the community because it would have to be done North/South and would result in a wealthy high school and another school that would overall be another demographic.

Shoot me a DM if you have any questions. FirmBear24 would also be a great resource.