Tyler Reporter

There were eight Pacific Islander students enrolled in Wood County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 60% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Wood County welcomed 6,377 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 18 schools in Wood County, only Hawkins Elementary School and Mineola Elementary School enrolled any Pacific Islander students, welcoming two students each 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.

School name	% of Pacific Islander students enrolment	Total enrollment
Quitman Elementary School	0	581
Winnsboro High School	0	492
Mineola High School	0	466
Mineola Primary School	0.2	443
Alba-Golden High School	0	414
Alba-Golden Elementary School	0	404
Hawkins High School / Middle	0.3	386
Hawkins Elementary School	0.5	383
Mineola Middle School	0	381
Quitman High School	0.3	365
Winnsboro Junior High School	0	360
Winnsboro Elementary School	0.3	355
Mineola Elementary School	0.6	353
Winnsboro Memorial Intermediate School	0	332
Quitman Junior High School	0	270
Yantis School	0	195
Yantis Elementary School	0	192
Alter School	0	5