Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath (2024) | onestarfoundation.org
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath (2024) | onestarfoundation.org
Of the 62,328 students attending Smith County schools, 38% were Hispanic. White students comprised the second-largest ethnic group in the county, making up 36.5% of the student body.
In the previous school year, Hispanic students were also the most represented group in Smith County school districts, comprising 37.5% of the student body.
Texas College Preparatory Academies had the most even distribution of races among the districts in the county, with 37.4% white, 32.2% Hispanic, 15.8% Black, 9.2% Asian, 4.9% multiracial, 0.3% American Indian, and 0.2% Pacific Islander students.
In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in the county increased 2.1% compared to the previous year.
The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Smith County.
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.
More than 5.4 million students are enrolled in public schools across Texas. Nearly one million of them live in rural areas where options for local public schools are few and far between.
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.
| District | Most prevalent ethnic group | Percent of Total Student Body | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARP ISD | White | 65.9% | 1,002 |
| Chapel Hill ISD | Hispanic | 54.2% | 3,270 |
| Cumberland Academy | White | 45.6% | 2,035 |
| Lindale ISD | White | 67.8% | 4,552 |
| Premier High Schools | Hispanic | 55.6% | 7,851 |
| Texas College Preparatory Academies | White | 37.4% | 16,918 |
| Trinity Charter School | White | 39% | 326 |
| Troup ISD | White | 70.9% | 1,075 |
| Tyler ISD | Hispanic | 48.2% | 18,304 |
| Ut Tyler University Academy | White | 60.5% | 1,016 |
| Whitehouse ISD | White | 62.5% | 4,826 |
| Winona ISD | Hispanic | 38% | 1,153 |
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