Panhandle Times

Deaf Smith County schools enrolled 3,182 students who identified as economically disadvantaged in the state during the 2021-22 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Of the 4,119 students enrolled in Deaf Smith County schools, 77.3% were considered economically disadvantaged. This is a 3.1% increase over the previous school year.

Deaf Smith County enrolled the 95th highest number of students identified as economically disadvantaged among Texas counties.

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	Number of Economically Disadvantaged Students	Total Number of Students
Hereford High School	834	1,154
Hereford Junior High School	432	580
Northwest Elementary School	350	457
Aikman Elementary School	338	401
Bluebonnet Elementary School	323	404
West Central Elementary School	304	378
Hereford Preparatory Academy	263	333
Tierra Blanca Early Childhood Center	253	260
Walcott Elementary School	85	152