Tyler Reporter

There were 11,060 students enrolled in Cherokee County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 0.9% less than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

At the time, Cherokee County had the 66th largest enrollment in the state.

Data also showed that white students made up 48.6% of the student body, the largest percentage in Cherokee County schools, followed by Hispanic students at 35.4%, Black students at 11.1%, American Indian students at 0.5%, Asian students at 0.5% and multiracial students at 4%.

Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing the state's school district. According to a 2024 report from the Texas Education Agency, 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 stated in an interview.

School name	Total enrollment in 2022-23	Total enrollment in 2023-24	% change
Alto Elementary School	208	201	-3.4%
Alto High School	161	147	-8.7%
Alto Middle School	167	156	-6.6%
Bullard Early Childhood	309	268	-13.3%
Bullard Elementary School	434	425	-2.1%
Bullard High School	848	891	5.1%
Bullard Intermediate School	435	431	-0.9%
Bullard Middle School	459	483	5.2%
Bullard Primary School	401	414	3.2%
Compass Center	17	34	100%
East Side Elementary School	615	607	-1.3%
Fred Douglass	623	600	-3.7%
G.W. Bradford Primary School	376	364	-3.2%
Jacksonville High School	1,331	1,364	2.5%
Jacksonville Middle School	711	645	-9.3%
Joe Wright Elementary School	542	525	-3.1%
New Summerfield School	515	511	-0.8%
Nichols Intermediate School	666	659	-1.1%
Rusk Elementary School	288	329	14.2%
Rusk High School	610	603	-1.1%
Rusk Intermediate School	303	268	-11.6%
Rusk Junior High School	478	493	3.1%
Wells School	259	242	-6.6%
West Side Elementary School	404	400	-1%