SE Texas Times

White students comprised the most prevalent ethnic group in Hardin County schools in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Of the 10,688 students attending Hardin County schools, 75.6% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 10.2% of the total enrollment.

In the previous school year, white students also made up the largest ethnic group in Hardin County, comprising 76.7% of the student body.

Silsbee Elementary School had the most even distribution of races among the schools in the county, which included 65.2% white students, 17.6% Black students, 9.1% Hispanic students, 7.4% multiracial students, 0.4% Asian students, 0.2% American Indian students, and 0.1% Pacific Islander students.

When compared to the previous school year, total public school enrollment in the county dropped 0.7%.

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 district. Per-pupil funding has not increased since 2019, despite inflation rates rising by more than 20% since then.

School name	Most prevalent ethnic group	Percent of Total Student Body	Total enrollment
Edwards-Johnson Memorial Middle School	White	62.2%	598
Hardin-Jefferson High School	White	66.1%	782
Henderson Middle School	White	69.7%	614
Kountze Elementary School	White	63%	332
Kountze High School	White	72.8%	331
Kountze Intermediate School	White	75.7%	255
Kountze Middle School	White	70.4%	223
Laura Reeves Primary School	White	64.3%	272
Lumberton Early Childhood School	White	79.1%	416
Lumberton High School	White	83.9%	1,239
Lumberton Intermediate School	White	83.8%	987
Lumberton Middle School	White	83.4%	944
Lumberton Primary School	White	83.6%	610
Silsbee Elementary School	White	65.2%	959
Silsbee High School	White	66.9%	825
Sour Lake Elementary School	White	83%	760
West Hardin Elementary School	White	88.9%	280
West Hardin High School	White	92%	261