2026 Compare Cities Education:
Waco, TX vs Merced, CA

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Highlights
- Merced spends 26.6% more per student than Waco.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 62.5% higher in Merced than in Waco. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Merced had 11.4% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Waco
 Waco, TXMerced, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$14,332$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$10,306  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,391$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio13.66  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock61024573
 Students per Counselor333  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock14.1%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.9.6%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock74.3%88.9%
 Some College Educ.21.9%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock9.4%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.26.8%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock4.0%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.1%1.5%
Reviews for Waco    20 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

This town is a nightmare for all nearby towns or people passing through. Expect to add an hour to your trip if you're passing through. Traffic. Traffic traffic.  More

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Best city in Texas when you count traffic, housing cost, eateries, Baylor Bear sports, largest urban lake in Texas, Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of  More

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i was raised in waco tx and recently moved to country to get away from the drama and crime associated w living in waco.But it seems now the city of Waco has purchased  More

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Reviews for Merced    44 Reviews

Merced is totally slept on - you want a little bit of everything CA has to offer, at a fraction of the price of other CA cities? Merced is the place to go. The town  More

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Over 6 years ago

Good place to live. More affordable than most of california. The city is growing and there is alot of business and growth here. Moved from the Bay area years ago and  More

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Great place to live. Lots of progress and changes coming to the city. Great place to raise a family. UC Merced is expanding and businesses are investing. Downtown is  More

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