Amarillo Gazette

Panhandle Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Carson County schools, welcoming 317 students during the 2022-23 academic year, according to the Texas Education Agency report.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2022-23 school year, 53% of them were boys, and 47% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were white, representing 80.8% of the Panhandle Elementary School total enrollment.

Among the six schools in Carson County, Panhandle High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 189 students, while White Deer Elementary School welcomed 183 students and ranked third in the 2022-23 school year.

Panhandle Elementary School is a part of Panhandle ISD, which roughly covers schools within Carson County with its main office in Panhandle.

In the previous school year, Panhandle Elementary School also had the highest number of students among Carson County schools.

The Texas education system is currently torn between public schools and taxpayer-funded private schools.

Critics argue that private schools use funds that should go to the public school system, while private school advocates claim they’re offering better education for more Texas students.

Education in Texas is often a hot button issue, especially as test scores lag behind other states.

“The problems commonly cited are flaws in the school financing system, relatively low teacher salary, poor test performance by students, dropouts from traditional schools in favor of charter schools, gun violence, and mental health issues,” claimed the Texas Almanac.

School Name	City	Total School Enrollment
Panhandle Elementary School	Panhandle	317
Panhandle High School	Panhandle	189
White Deer Elementary School	White Deer	183
White Deer High School	White Deer	151
Panhandle Junior High School	Panhandle	151
Groom School	Groom	150