West Houston News

There were 5,272 Hispanic students enrolled in Waller County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.6% 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, Hispanic students comprised 59.6% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 13 schools in Waller County, Evelyn Turlington Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 674 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 Hispanic students enrolment	Total enrollment
Bryant Elementary School	24.5	1,149
Evelyn Turlington Elementary School	62.2	1,084
Waller Junior High School	61.7	899
Royal High School	72.8	842
Hempstead Elementary School	62.6	834
H. T. Jones Elementary School	62.6	765
Royal Elementary School	74.4	762
Fields Store Elementary School	47.5	663
Royal Junior High School	74.5	593
Hempstead High School	63.9	465
Royal Early Childhood Center	72.3	440
Hempstead Middle School	60.8	339
Safe Haven	30	10