Waco Reporter

There were four Pacific Islander students enrolled in Hill County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 20% less than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Hill County welcomed 6,583 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Pacific Islander students comprised 0.1% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 24 schools in Hill County, Covington School recorded the highest enrollment of Pacific Islander students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of two 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
Hillsboro Elementary School	0	704
Hillsboro High School	0	604
Whitney High School	0.2	441
Hillsboro Intermediate School	0	429
Whitney Elementary School	0	393
Whitney Middle School	0	344
Whitney Intermediate School	0	341
Blum ISD	0	338
Aquilla School	0	321
Covington School	0.6	319
Itasca Elementary School	0	295
Abbott School	0	286
Hillsboro Junior High School	0	272
Hubbard High School	0	229
Hubbard Elementary School	0	218
Penelope School	0	202
Itasca High School	0	192
Bynum School	0	189
Mount Calm ISD	0	167
Itasca Middle School	0	164
Malone Elementary School	0.8	128
Hill County JJAEP	0	3
Hill County JJAEP	0	2
Hill County JJAEP	0	2