Longview Times

There were 46 American Indian students enrolled in Upshur County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 4.5% 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, American Indian students comprised 0.6% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the county.

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

Texas is found to be one of the least-educated states in the U.S. A study from WalletHub ranked Texas 41st out of 50 states in terms of the quality of the educational system and how successful students were.

Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing the state's school districts. 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 said.

School name	% of American Indian students enrolment	Total enrollment
Gilmer Elementary School	0.7	1,179
Gilmer High School	0.7	815
Robert F. Hunt Elementary School	0.3	574
Gladewater High School	0.7	459
Bruce Junior High School	0.9	429
Union Grove Elementary School	1	406
Gilmer Intermediate School	0.7	402
Ore City Elementary School	0.5	399
Big Sandy Elementary School	0	337
New Diana High School	0.6	330
Harmony Elementary School	0	313
New Diana Middle School	0.7	282
Harmony High School	0	282
Harmony Junior High School	0.8	258
Ore City High School	0	243
Union Grove High School	1.3	229
Big Sandy High School	1.1	189
Ore City Middle School	0	183
Harmony Intermediate School	0	156
Big Sandy Junior High School	0	145
Union Hill High School	1.4	143
Union Grove Junior High School	0.8	126
Sharon A. Richardson Elementary School	0	111
Azleway - Big Sandy	0	22