Upper East Texas News

There were 16 Pacific Islander students enrolled in Lamar County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 5.9% less than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Lamar County welcomed 8,584 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Pacific Islander students comprised 0.2% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 21 schools in Lamar County, Justiss Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Pacific Islander students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of five students.

Texas is found to be one of the least-educated states in the U.S. A study from WalletHub ranked Texas 41st out of 50 states in terms of the quality of the educational system and how successful students were.

Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing the state's school districts. Per-pupil funding has not increased since 2019, despite inflation rates rising by more than 20% since then.

“As a result, many districts in our very own Central Texas region are being forced to cut back on essential programs, services, consider school closures, and adopt deficit budgets just to provide students with the education that they deserve,” Hutto ISD Trustee James Matlock said.

School name	% of Pacific Islander students enrolment	Total enrollment
Aikin Elementary School	0.3	937
Paris High School	0.1	934
North Lamar High School	0.1	727
Chisum Elementary School	0	593
Crockett Intermediate School	0.5	560
Justiss Elementary School	0.9	552
Frank Stone Middle School	0.2	528
Paris Junior High School	0.2	522
Blossom Elementary School	0	418
W. L. Higgins Elementary School	0.3	351
Chisum High School	0	322
Bailey Intermediate School	0	300
Prairiland High School	0	292
Cecil Everett Elementary School	0	279
Aaron Parker Elementary School	0	265
Chisum Middle School	0	264
Prairiland Junior High School	0	248
Lamar County Head Start	0	205
Deport Elementary School	0	141
Givens Early Childhood Center	0	103
Travis High School of Choice	0	43