Longview Times

There were 560 Black students enrolled in Upshur County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.4% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Upshur County welcomed 8,012 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Black students comprised 7% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 24 schools in Upshur County, Gilmer Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Black students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 111 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.

School name	% of Black students enrolment	Total enrollment
Gilmer Elementary School	9.4	1,179
Gilmer High School	10.2	815
Robert F. Hunt Elementary School	6.3	574
Gladewater High School	18.3	459
Bruce Junior High School	7.7	429
Union Grove Elementary School	0.5	406
Gilmer Intermediate School	8	402
Ore City Elementary School	4.3	399
Big Sandy Elementary School	8.9	337
New Diana High School	8.8	330
Harmony Elementary School	1	313
New Diana Middle School	7.4	282
Harmony High School	0	282
Harmony Junior High School	0.4	258
Ore City High School	3.7	243
Union Grove High School	0.4	229
Big Sandy High School	10.1	189
Ore City Middle School	4.9	183
Harmony Intermediate School	0.6	156
Big Sandy Junior High School	11	145
Union Hill High School	4.2	143
Union Grove Junior High School	2.4	126
Sharon A. Richardson Elementary School	6.3	111
Azleway - Big Sandy	31.8	22