Forest Country News

There were four Pacific Islander students enrolled in Polk County schools in the 2022-23 school year, the same number as in 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, Pacific Islander students comprised 0.1% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 18 schools in Polk County, Big Sandy School, Corrigan-Camden Elementary School, Creekside Elementary School, and Livingston Junior High School recorded the highest enrollment of Pacific Islander student in the 2022-23 school year.

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