East Central Texas News

There were 18 African American students enrolled in Rice ISD schools in the 2021-22 school year, 10% less than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Rice ISD schools welcomed 997 students during the 2021-22 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 1.8% of the student body to be one of the least represented ethnicities in the district.

Rice ISD roughly covers schools within Navarro County and has a main office in Rice.

Among the three schools in Rice ISD schools, Rice High School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of eight 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.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total of African American Students	African American students %
2021-22	997	18	1.8
2020-21	969	20	2.1
2019-20	947	27	2.9