Panhandle Times

Richardson Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Castro County schools, welcoming 524 students during the 2022-23 academic year, according to the Texas Education Agency report.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 52.1% of them were boys, and 47.9% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were Hispanic, representing 91.4% of the Richardson Elementary School total enrollment.

Among the five schools in Castro County, Dimmitt High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 303 students, while Dimmitt Middle School welcomed 270 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Richardson Elementary School is a part of Dimmitt ISD, which roughly covers schools within Castro County with its main office in Dimmitt.

In the previous school year, Richardson Elementary School also had the highest number of students among Castro County schools.

The Texas education system is currently torn between public schools and taxpayer-funded private schools.

Critics argue that private schools use funds that should go to the public school system, while private school advocates claim they’re offering better education for more Texas 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	City	Total School Enrollment
Richardson Elementary School	Dimmitt	524
Dimmitt High School	Dimmitt	303
Dimmitt Middle School	Dimmitt	270
Nazareth School	Nazareth	250
Hart ISD	Hart	207