East Central Texas News

There were 298 African American students enrolled in Westwood ISD schools in the 2022-23 school year, 13.3% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Westwood ISD schools welcomed 1,414 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 21.1% of the student body to be one of the most represented ethnicities in the district.

Westwood ISD roughly covers schools within Anderson County and has a main office in Palestine.

Among the four schools in Westwood ISD schools, Westwood Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 84 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 %
2022-23	1,414	298	21.1%
2021-22	1,332	263	19.7%
2020-21	1,352	268	19.8%
2019-20	1,514	296	19.6%