Mission Statement

Why Vanguard is Special?
Small School - Big Education - Since 1973

The Vanguard College Preparatory School motto – Small School – Big Education – reflects the distinction that Vanguard is the place where children thrive!

The breadth and depth of the opportunities offered to our students from Grade 6 through Grade 12 make Vanguard unique along with our outstanding faculty and staff with long tenures!

Vanguard College Preparatory School is a non-parochial, independent school in Waco, Texas that prepares our students for academic success and fulfilling lives. The foundation of the Vanguard experience is based on our core values – rigor, respect, and responsibility.

The community of Vanguard students, faculty, administrators, and parents are committed to a personalized learning experience that prepares each student to excel at the collegiate level. This commitment is what truly makes Vanguard Waco’s best high school.

Core Values

These core values are intrinsic to the success of Waco’s best high school and middle school.

RIGOR

Sitting in the heart of Waco, Vanguard’s small class sizes provide students with the academic freedom to discover intellectual and personal passions through a demanding curriculum taught by motivated highly qualified educators. Beyond a robust regimen of core subjects, students are challenged by their peers and the faculty to explore the meaning of complex information and to apply knowledge in the service of their communities and careers. Waco’s best middle school and Waco’s best high school sit on the same campus site.

RESPECT

We provide a supportive, safe environment for our students. The foundation of this environment is based on mutual respect among individuals, students, faculty, parents, and the administration. The culture of mutual respect extends beyond the classroom onto the campus, athletic fields, the students’ homes, and the surrounding community. Our students’ self-respect and their respect for others are foundational to success in any endeavor after Vanguard.

RESPONSIBILTY

We develop responsible students by entrusting them with an age-appropriate degree of freedom, balanced with clearly defined standards of behavior and accountability. The interaction of freedom and accountability between students, faculty, and administration helps each student exercise the integrity, self-discipline, and responsibility necessary for success at the collegiate level.

Meet our Head of School - Johnny Graham

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Class Size

Test Scores

Vanguard class of 2024/25 average SAT score 1350 (critical reading, writing, and math combined).
SAT scores above average as confirmed by National Merit Scholarship — from 1994 to 2025, 64 National Merit Finalists.
For the past 10 years, Vanguard College Preparatory School has had 36 students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Vanguard has averaged one out of every nine students being nationally recognized at the Commended Level or higher.

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, as well as approved by the Texas Education Agency.
National Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, Texas Association of Non-Public Schools, The College Board, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of College Admission Counseling, Texas Association of College Admission Counseling & Texas Association of Supervision & Curriculum Development, Classical Association of the Middle West and South.

AWARDS

Voted Waco’s Best Private School by the Waco Trib, Wacoan and #19 Best Private School by Niche.
State award winning Robotics Team – 2021
Varsity golf team brought back twelve consecutive TAPPS State Championship.
Waco’s best private school qualified for the national debate tournament.
2020-2022 Varsity tennis team consecutive TAPPS State Championship.
Distinguished Merit Awarded, Vanguard Review Newspaper Staff -3A division of the UIL Interscholastic League Press Conference journalism competition. Individual awards include four gold medals, three silver medals, two bronze medals and five honorable mentions
Average SAT score for classes of 2021 – 2025 was a 1350.
Literary magazine, Liquid Paper, ranked superior by the National Council of Teachers of English.
2025 Challenge Team Champions
2018-25 Art District Winners in all categories and UIL
Over 60 team TAPPS State Championships
18 AP courses

We are focused on preparing students for college and beyond.

An independent school’s value proposition should not be judged primarily by its matriculation list—where graduates enroll in a college—oversimplifies the quality and impact of the education provided. More important, this perspective undervalues the comprehensive educational experience that independent schools offer.

The true measure of a school’s value lies in how well it prepares students for their future, fostering skills like critical thinking, resilience, and creativity, rather than merely where students are admitted to college.

Many independent school parents are conflating college acceptance with the ultimate goal, but really we prioritize preparing students for college and beyond. Emphasizing matriculation lists can perpetuate a narrow definition of success, suggesting that only certain colleges are worth attending. This outlook can be particularly misleading as it fails to appreciate the wide variety of post-secondary pathways that can lead to fulfilling careers and lives, including less traditionally prestigious colleges, vocational programs, and even gap years. The value proposition of independent schools should be based on their ability to nurture students’ diverse talents and interests, equipping them with the tools to thrive wherever they choose to go after graduation.

For More Information:

Chelsa Brindley Ressetar
Vanguard’s Director of Advancement
Email: Chelsa Ressetar
Phone: (254) 772-8111

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Why Vanguard is Special?
Small School - Big Education - Since 1973