Waco Reporter

There were four African American students enrolled in Penelope ISD schools in the 2022-23 school year, 20% less than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Penelope ISD schools welcomed 202 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 2% of the student body to be one of the least represented ethnicities in the district.

Penelope ISD roughly covers schools within Hill County and has a main office in Penelope.

Penelope School was the only school in the district which enrolled African American students, welcoming four students in the 2022-23 school year.

Education in Texas is often a hot button issue, especially as test scores lag behind other states.

"The problems commonly cited are flaws in the school financing system, relatively low teacher salary, poor test performance by students... dropouts from traditional schools in favor of charter schools... gun violence, and mental health issues," claimed the Texas Almanac.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total of African American Students	African American students %
2022-23	202	4	2%
2021-22	199	5	2.5%
2020-21	211	2	0.9%
2019-20	204	1	0.5%