There were 202 African American students enrolled in Tatum ISD schools in the 2023-24 school year, 8.6% less than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Data showed that Tatum ISD schools welcomed 1,383 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 14.6% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the district.
Tatum ISD roughly covers schools within Rusk County and has a main office in Tatum.
Among the four schools in Tatum ISD schools, Tatum High School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 70 students.
A recent study by WalletHub classified Texas as one of the least-educated states in the U.S., ranking it 41st out of 50 in educational quality and student outcomes.
Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing Texas’ school districts. According to a 2024 report from the Texas Education Agency, 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 stated in an interview.
| Year | Total District Enrollment | Total of African American Students | African American students % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 1,383 | 202 | 14.6% |
| 2022-23 | 1,476 | 221 | 15% |
| 2021-22 | 1,475 | 247 | 16.7% |
| 2020-21 | 1,473 | 266 | 18.1% |
| 2019-20 | 1,500 | 283 | 18.9% |
