Vanguard College Preparatory School, founded in 1973, is a private, independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school located in Waco, Texas, United States, for students in grades 7-12. Enrollment, as of the 2018-2019 academic year is 210, with 38 on the teaching faculty. Voted #23 Best Private School in Texas by Niche and #1 Private School in Central Texas for STEM and Diversity. Voted #1 Private School in Waco for 2018 by Waco Trib and Wacoan. Vanguard College Preparatory School focuses on a complete education that emphasizes excellence in academics, arts, athletics, clubs and community service. Students pursue their interests and learn to balance a rich variety of activities. Rigorous programs prepare students for success with 100 percent of graduating seniors going to college. Vanguard students learn the importance of self-discipline, respect, personal responsibility, hard work, and compassion. The faculty believes in working hard and teaching critical life and study skills. A college-style campus with small class sizes, students receive individualized attention and are pushed to the highest levels. Students receive help navigating the college application process and are prepared for a successful college experience academically and socially. Vanguard students’ SAT scores are 27 percent higher than the Texas average. The 75 graduates from the Class of 2017/18 received over $9.2 million in academic scholarships. Tuition assistance is available. Visit www.vanguard.org or call 254/772-8111 for more information. Small School - Big Education. The campus consists of and the school is housed in several buildings. Vanguard is a college-style campus. A science and math building was completed in 1984, two gymnasiums were completed in 1980 and enlarged as a multi-purpose facility in 1992, and a performing arts center was completed in 1987. A new classroom building opened for use in the fall of 2000 and a new visual arts building and video studio opened in 2004. Administrative offices were renovated in 2005 and the gymnasium complex was renovated in 2006. State of the art computer labs are accessible to students, and the entire campus has Wi-Fi. Art, drama, music, publications, service organizations, debate, Knowledge Master, Mock Trial and athletics are among their extracurricular options. The 2014 and 2017 editions of Liquid Paper, Vanguard's literary magazine, received a superior rating from the National Council of Teachers of English. The 2011 edition, Circadian, received first place from the American Scholastic Press Association.
Athletics
Vanguard has won over forty-four team state titles. Students can play multiple sports. The 2017 Varsity Boys Basketball had the best season in school history. Varsity Golf team has won 11 consecutive state championships. Varsity Teams - Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Golf, Volleyball, Tennis, Track, Cross Country, Cheerleading. Vanguard is 4A in Tapps and all 2018-19 teams made the playoffs.
