Forest Country News

There were 114 American Indian students enrolled in Polk County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 7.3% less than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Polk County welcomed 7,133 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 1.6% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 18 schools in Polk County, Big Sandy School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 101 students.

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.

School name	% of American Indian students enrolment	Total enrollment
Livingston High School	0.1	1,128
Livingston Junior High School	0.1	893
Onalaska Elementary School	0.1	712
Onalaska Junior/Senior High School	0.4	527
Timber Creek Elementary School	0.2	522
Creekside Elementary School	0.4	515
Cedar Grove Elementary School	0.2	513
Big Sandy School	19.7	512
Pine Ridge Primary School	0.4	475
Corrigan-Camden Elementary School	0	401
Corrigan-Camden High School	0	240
Corrigan-Camden Junior High School	0.5	195
Leggett Elementary School	0	143
Goodrich Elementary School	0.7	140
Leggett High School	0	80
Goodrich High School	0	74
Goodrich Middle School	0	48
Livingston High School Academy	0	15