Enrollment in Irion County ISD schools increased over the previous year

The only school district in Irion County had rising enrollment in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency report.

There were 337 students in the halls of Irion County ISD schools, 1.2% higher than the year before.

Enrollment in Irion County was steady compared to the state’s trend of increasing enrollment.

Of all students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 50.1% of the students were girls, and 49.9% were boys.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, representing 69.7% of the Irion County ISD total enrollment.

Irion County ISD has a main office in Mertzon and is the only school district within Irion County.

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 the state’s school district. 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.