Mason County schools see 9 in gifted and talented student enrollment for 2023-24 school year

Mason County schools enrolled 103 students identified as being gifted and talented during the 2023-24 school year, a 9.6% decrease from the previous school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

This translates to roughly 14.6% of the 705 students enrolled in the county schools that year.

Mason County enrolled the 91st lowest number of gifted and talented students among Texas counties.

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 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.