There were 11 African American students enrolled in Mercedes ISD schools in the 2023-24 school year, 10% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Data showed that Mercedes ISD schools welcomed 4,393 students during the 2023-24 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 0.3% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the district.
Mercedes ISD roughly covers schools within Hidalgo County and has a main office in Mercedes.
Among the 10 schools in Mercedes ISD schools, Ruben Hinojosa Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of five 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 African American Students | African American students % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 4,393 | 11 | 0.3% |
| 2022-23 | 4,457 | 10 | 0.2% |
| 2021-22 | 4,418 | 9 | 0.2% |
| 2020-21 | 4,681 | 7 | 0.1% |
| 2019-20 | 4,941 | 8 | 0.2% |
