There were 4,265 Hispanic students enrolled in Port Arthur ISD schools in the 2023-24 school year, 2.7% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Data showed that Port Arthur ISD schools welcomed 8,155 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 52.3% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the district.
Port Arthur ISD roughly covers schools within Jefferson County and has a main office in Port Arthur.
Among the 14 schools in Port Arthur ISD schools, Memorial High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 1,045 students.
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.
| Year | Total District Enrollment | Total of Hispanic Students | Hispanic students % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 8,155 | 4,265 | 52.3% |
| 2022-23 | 8,152 | 4,153 | 50.9% |
| 2021-22 | 8,003 | 3,998 | 50% |
| 2020-21 | 7,957 | 3,863 | 48.5% |
| 2019-20 | 8,310 | 4,026 | 48.4% |
