Waxahachie ISD is located in Waxahachie, Texas in Ellis County and covers 196 square miles. It has 14 campuses including eight elementary schools, two junior high schools, three high schools and an alternative school. It serves over 8,000 students where 50.6% are of Anglo heritage, 34.27% of Hispanic heritage, 11.8% of African American heritage, and 3.26% of either Asian or American heritage or other.  The district currently has a “Met Standard” rating from the Texas Education Agency. 

Student Achievement

The graduation rate for the Class of 2016 is 89%. Fifty-five percent of students in the same class were considered “college - ready graduates” in both English and mathematics, and 91% were considered “college and career ready graduates.”  The average SAT score for the same class was 1442, and the average ACT score was 21.4.  
Dunaway Elementary, Shackelford Elementary and more have had students participate and compete in Destination Imagination, which is a program that challenges students to become creative and innovative thinkers and doers. Theatre students at both junior high schools have been awarded or recognized for their acting abilities at UIL competitions. Various sports teams have competed in district and regional competitions. Many athletes have also earned spots on college teams such as Arkansas Tech, Texas State University, Same Houston State University and others. Many Waxahachie ISD students have become National Merit and Advanced Placement Scholars.

Teachers

Waxahachie ISD employs over 500 teachers and has a staff of 1,148. The average teaching experience is 11.5 years, and the average experience with the district is 7 years. For the 2016-2017 school year, the beginning salary for Waxahachie teachers was $45,000.  Those who held a master’s earned an additional $1,500, and those who hold a doctorate earned an additional $3,000.  Each teacher has their own personal computer plus an iPad to use for curriculum planning, instruction, etc. The district has a mentor program for first – year teachers, where their assigned mentor will guide them through their first year of teaching.  The district provides several staff development opportunities for all teachers. 

Bilingual and ESL Programs

Waxahachie ISD strives to offer bilingual and ESL programs to compete in a multicultural society. The bilingual program helps students become proficient in listening, speaking, reading and writing of the Spanish language. The ESL program helps students achieve goals through the use of second language methods. Both programs are crucial to the overall success of Waxahachie ISD.
The district currently uses the Gomez Dual Language Enrichment Model while instructing bilingual and ESL students. The DLE model has shown success in closing the academic achievement gap for these students.

Superintendent

Jeremy K. Glenn, Ed.D has served Waxahachie ISD since December 2013.  He attended the University of Texas at Tyler where he received his bachelor of science in political science and his master’s in educational administration. He then received his doctorate in education from Sam Houston State University.  Dr. Glenn started his education career as an English teacher and coach for Mineola ISD.  He then became a high school principal and assistant superintendent for Trinity ISD before finally becoming Waxahachie’s superintendent.

Education Foundation

The Education Foundation of Waxahachie ISD is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1999.  Through events and individual donations, the foundation is able to fund grants and scholarships for the betterment of the students’ education. The grants funded by the Education Foundation are for teachers whose projects and initiatives transform and elevate the education of students.  The foundation’s scholarships are for students who want to start earning college credit through dual credit classes and for teachers who want to attend the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) annual conference. 

Technology Plan

The district’s technology plan outlines their goals for what technology they want to implement and upgrade currently and in the future.  The district aims to upgrade their classrooms to 21st century classrooms which will include a teacher workstation, interactive projectors, document camera, sound reinforcement and more.  It also aims to decrease 3rd – 12th grade student work stations while increasing mobile student devices.  They also seek to make other improvements such as
•    Online student registration
•    District phone app
•    Upgrade wireless infrastructure and more.

To learn more about Waxahachie ISD’s programs, opportunities and more, visit their website at www.wisd.org.