Petroplex News

There were seven Pacific Islander students enrolled in Howard County schools in the 2022-23 school year, the same number as in the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Howard County welcomed 5,358 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 13 schools in Howard County, Big Spring Junior High 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
Big Spring High School	0.1	1,084
Coahoma Elementary School	0	568
Big Spring Junior High School	0.4	516
Big Spring Intermediate School	0	489
Moss Elementary School	0.2	461
Forsan High School	0	394
Marcy Elementary School	0.3	360
Forsan Elementary School	0	359
Washington Elementary School	0.4	273
Coahoma High School	0	271
Coahoma Junior High School	0	256
Goliad Elementary School	0.4	232
Kentwood Elementary School	0	95