Waco City Academy

The 2026 Waco City Academy Application will be open from Friday, January 16 to Monday February 16.

Waco City Academy is a ten-session class that teaches participants about civic engagement and their local government. Sessions include presentations and interactive activities from City of Waco departments showcasing the day-to-day of running a local government. Waco City Academy takes place on nine Thursday evenings plus a Saturday session. Graduates are recognized at a City Council meeting. For more information, contact us at neighborhoods@wacotx.gov or (254) 750‑5774.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Waco City Academy, applicants must:

Be at least 21 years of age.
Reside within Waco city limits.
Be able to participate in classroom-style sessions with guided tours and activities (Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.)
Be able to commit to attend sessions for two hours per week.
Commit to attending the ten sessions.

Apply

Due to space limitations, Waco City Academy sessions are limited to 20 participants. Participants are selected on a first applied, first enrolled basis. Some seats are reserved to ensure there are at least three participants representing each city council district, with the remaining five seats may be selected from any district.

The 2026 Waco City Academy application will be open Friday, January 16 to Monday, February 16.

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Schedule

Each session features presentations and activities from most City departments. Participants are expected to attend every session. Attendance of at least eight of the ten sessions is required to graduate.

Sessions are Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., March 5 through May 7 (excluding March 12 for spring break).
A field trip will be held on Saturday, May 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Graduation is scheduled on Tuesday, June 2 during the Waco City Council meeting. The reception will begin at 5 p.m. followed by a recognition at 6 p.m. during the business session.
Check your schedule to ensure you can attend all sessions before submitting an application. A full schedule with additional information will be shared with the 2026 selected participants.

Topics:

Session 1 - Introduction
Session 2 - Internal Services
Session 3 - External Operations
Session 4 - Public Safety (Fire)
Session 5 - Public Safety (Police)
Session 6 - Internal Operations
Session 7 - Economic Development
Session 8 - Community Services
Session 9 - Quality of Life (Saturday)
Session 10 - Get Involved
Graduation