East Central Texas News

There were five Pacific Islander students enrolled in Anderson County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 66.7% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Anderson County welcomed 8,188 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 25 schools in Anderson County, Elkhart High School, Northside Primary School, Palestine Junior High School, Story Intermediate School, and Westwood High School recorded the highest enrollment of Pacific Islander student in the 2022-23 school year.

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 Pacific Islander students enrolment	Total enrollment
Palestine High School	0	998
Story Intermediate School	0.1	673
Palestine Junior High School	0.2	493
Northside Primary School	0.2	465
Southside Elementary School	0	447
Westwood High School	0.2	438
Westwood Elementary School	0	408
Frankston Elementary School	0	373
Westwood Primary School	0	363
Elkhart Elementary School	0	327
Elkhart High School	0.3	315
Elkhart Intermediate School	0	282
Elkhart Middle School	0	270
Cayuga Elementary School	0	257
Slocum PK - 8	0	256
Frankston High School	0	245
UT Tyler University Academy at Palestine	0	228
Washington Early Childhood Center	0	221
Westwood Junior High School	0	205
Frankston Middle School	0	184
Cayuga High School	0	171
Neches Elementary School	0	170
Cayuga Middle School	0	166
Neches High School	0	140
Slocum High School	0	93