Little River Academy Texas Gymnasium 2021, 2021
Little River-Academy’s story
190 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1836Little River-Academy is settled
Little River-AcademyTX
Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
Population
2,020
2025 Census estimate · +1.3% since 2020
Typical home
$208K
−3.4% in a year
Household income
$76K
median
Median age
32.7
years
Jobs based here
462
A commuter town
Is Little River-Academy a good place to live?
The best of Little River-Academy’s subject grades are a B+ for schools and a B for incomes; the weakest is a C− for walkability. 36% of residents are under 18 in Little River-Academy, above both Texas’ towns (26%) and U.S. towns (22%). On the outdoors, just 54 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do worse. Little River-Academy's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 84% of U.S. towns. Little River-Academy has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Little River-Academy stand out
Where Little River-Academy beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA−
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
ACADEMY ISD
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Int | 3–5 | 444 |
| Academy El | 1–2 | 258 |
| Academy Early Childhood Center | PK–K | 167 |
SchoolsB+
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1836
A long history
A history going back 190 years.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Little River-Academy for work
Where Little River-Academy’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
462jobs based in Little River-Academy
5%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Little River-Academy grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Little River-Academy is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 18% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.5 of 20; 2.3% of households have no car; 1.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsGraded on exam and test resultsB+Open →Jobs & income$76K median household incomeBOpen →Cost of livingNear typical for the towns comparedB−Open →HealthLess healthy than 50% of U.S. towns; Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple 7 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →HistoryBased on listed places, the town’s age and notable peopleC+Open →Civic life3.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 97° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.7; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Little River-Academy: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Little River-Academy, and how to reach them.
PowerOncorEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterBell County Wcid 2 water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Little River-Academy’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBell County Early Voting ClerkBell County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2022
ZIP code7655476554 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Little River-Academy.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Little River-Academy has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
On expected storm and flood damage, Little River-Academy sits below 82% of U.S. communities. 39% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 27%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Little River-Academy after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
18risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsB+
Public schools in Little River-Academy beat 70% of Texas districts
Public schools: Academy ISD. The largest public high school is Academy H S, with 546 students. Two of its 8 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
70%of TX districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy IntLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 444 | B |
| Academy H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 546 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Little River-Academy has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Little River-Academy rose by 137, to 462. For most workers, Little River-Academy is a place to come home to: only 5% work in town. In Little River-Academy, the average trip to work is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Temple (37%), Austin (8%) and Belton (7%).
5%work in town
| Little River-Academy | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 9% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 12% | 9.7% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Little River-Academy5%
Temple37%
Austin8%
Belton7%
Waco3%
11 mi
median commute distance
462
jobs based in Little River-Academy
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade B−
A typical Little River-Academy home is worth about $208K
For households in Little River-Academy, the share who own their home is 79%. Typical home values fell 3.4% in the year to September 2026. The town’s median rent is $1,463 a month.
$208KZillow home value
| Little River-Academy | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,463 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Little River-Academy$208K
Texas$296K
−3.4%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Little River-Academy has mild winters and hot summers
In Little River-Academy, the typical July afternoon high is 96°F.
97°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–62°
Spring55–78°
Summer72–95°
Fall56–81°
Nov 20
typical first frost
Mar 14
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
Compared with most of Texas and the rest of the country, more of Little River-Academy’s adults have been diagnosed with depression
The share of adults in Little River-Academy who had a checkup this year: 75%. Against the Texas average, Little River-Academy comes out ahead on 8 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 3. 11% of adults in Little River-Academy worry about having enough food; 31% have high blood pressure.
50%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Little River-Academy | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 20% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 8.1% |
31 measures vs. Texas
8 better20 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Little River-Academy | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.1% | 19.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7% | 10.7% |
| More adults with depression | 26.7% | 21.2% |
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple
7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Little River-Academy
17pages on Little River-Academy
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Little River-Academy
Temple CollegeCommunity college · Public · Temple6.4 mi$3,000 in-state tuitionUniversity of Mary Hardin-BaylorUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Belton9.2 mi$32,020 tuition
About 5 of every 100 Little River-Academy residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
About Little River-Academy
City in Texas, United States
Little River-Academy is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,992 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1836
- Area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 486 ft
- ZIP code
- 76554
- Area code
- 254
Questions about Little River-Academy
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Little River-Academy, TX expensive?
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($69,923 across the Killeen-Temple, TX metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.