Port Arthur ISD welcomed 8,155 students in 2023-24 school year

There were 8,155 students enrolled in Port Arthur ISD schools in the 2023-24 school year, a slight increase compared to the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 51.8% were boys, and 48.2% were girls.

Data also shows that the majority of students were Hispanic, representing 52.3% of the district’s total enrollment.

Port Arthur ISD roughly covers schools within Jefferson County with its main office in Port Arthur.

Among the 14 schools in Port Arthur ISD, Memorial High School recorded the highest enrollment of 2,068 students in the 2023-24 school year.

A recent study by WalletHub classified Texas as one of the least-educated states in the U.S., ranking it 41st out of 50 in educational quality and student outcomes.

Underfunding is a frequently cited challenge facing Texas’ school districts. According to a 2024 report from the Texas Education Agency, 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 stated in an interview.