Longview Times

There were seven Pacific Islander students enrolled in Rusk County schools in the 2021-22 school year, 16.7% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Rusk County welcomed 7,877 students during the 2021-22 school year. Among them, Pacific Islander comprised 0.1% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 23 schools in Rusk County, only Mt. Enterprise High School and Overton High School enrolled any Pacific Islander students, welcoming two students each in the 2021-22 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
Henderson High School	0	1,024
Henderson Middle School	0	795
William E. Wylie Elementary School	0.1	699
Carlisle School	0	608
Northside Elementary School	0.2	494
Tatum High School	0	473
Monnie Meyer Wylie Primary School	0	402
Tatum Primary School	0	349
West Rusk High School	0	340
Tatum Middle School	0	333
Tatum Elementary School	0	320
Overton High School	0.8	249
West Rusk Middle School	0	247
West Rusk Elementary School	0	241
Mt. Enterprise Elementary School	0	234
Mt. Enterprise High School	0.9	233
Overton Elementary School	0	225
West Rusk Intermediate School	0.5	208
Laneville School	0	156
Leveretts Chapel Elementary School	0	119
Leveretts Chapel High School	0	72
Leveretts Chapel Junior High School	0	54
Arp Coop Alternative School	0	2