West Houston News

There were 1,347 Black students enrolled in Waller County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.4% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Waller County welcomed 8,845 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 15.2% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 13 schools in Waller County, Hempstead Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 215 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 Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Bryant Elementary School	15.8	1,149
Evelyn Turlington Elementary School	6.9	1,084
Waller Junior High School	13	899
Royal High School	15	842
Hempstead Elementary School	25.8	834
H. T. Jones Elementary School	22.6	765
Royal Elementary School	15	762
Fields Store Elementary School	1.7	663
Royal Junior High School	14.7	593
Hempstead High School	21.3	465
Royal Early Childhood Center	14.8	440
Hempstead Middle School	24.2	339
Safe Haven	20	10