Polk County schools enrolled 4,881 students classified as economically disadvantaged during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Of the 7,125 students enrolled in Polk County schools, 68.5% were considered economically disadvantaged. This is a 2.4% increase over the previous school year.
Polk County enrolled the 75th highest number of students identified as economically disadvantaged among Texas counties.
A recent study by WalletHub classified Texas as one of the least-educated states in the U.S., ranking it 41st out of 50 in educational quality and student outcomes.
Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing Texas’ school districts. 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 | Number of Economically Disadvantaged Students | Total Number of Students |
|---|---|---|
| Livingston High School | 649 | 1,148 |
| Livingston Junior High School | 594 | 880 |
| Onalaska Elementary School | 521 | 713 |
| Timber Creek Elementary School | 407 | 528 |
| Creekside Elementary School | 402 | 516 |
| Cedar Grove Elementary School | 364 | 530 |
| Pine Ridge Primary School | 349 | 437 |
| Big Sandy School | 319 | 524 |
| Onalaska Junior/Senior High School | 317 | 529 |
| Corrigan-Camden Elementary School | 276 | 392 |
| Corrigan-Camden High School | 169 | 252 |
| Corrigan-Camden Junior High School | 133 | 192 |
| Goodrich Elementary School | 118 | 147 |
| Leggett Elementary School | 91 | 116 |
| Leggett High School | 69 | 83 |
| Goodrich High School | 59 | 76 |
| Goodrich Middle School | 33 | 49 |
| Livingston High School Academy | 11 | 13 |
