Waco City Academy

Waco-City-Academy.png

The 2024 application period is now closed. Please check back in January 2025.

Waco City Academy is a ten-week class that teaches you about civic engagement and your local government. Sessions include presentations and interactive activities from each City of Waco department to show you the day-to-day challenges 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 classes for two hours per week.
  • Have an interest in learning more about your local government.

Apply

Due to space limitations, Waco City Academy classes are limited to 20 participants. Participants are selected on a first applied, first enrolled basis. Some seats will be reserved to ensure that there are at least three participants representing each city council district, but the remaining five seats can be from any district.  The application includes a short application with a brief essay question.

The 2024 application period is closed. Please check back in January 2025 to apply for next year's Waco City Academy cohort. Subscribe to the Neighborhood Newsletter for the latest information about upcoming Neighborhood Engagement programs.

Subscribe

Schedule

Each session follows a theme based on each of the City of Waco’s strategic goals featuring presentations from each department that best represent that goal. Participants are expected to attend every session. Attendance of at least eight of the ten sessions is required to graduate.

2024 Schedule
  • Thursday evening classes will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. March 14 through May 16.
  • A field trip will also be held on Saturday, May 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Graduation is tentatively scheduled on Tuesday, June 4 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.
  • For a preview of the program, you may view this year's tentative schedule: Waco City Academy Schedule(PDF, 126KB)
Back to top