Denton County schools enrolled 59,668 students classified as economically disadvantaged during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Of the 167,098 students enrolled in Denton County schools, 35.7% were considered economically disadvantaged. This is a 3.2% increase over the previous school year.
Denton County enrolled the 11th highest number of students identified as economically disadvantaged 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 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.
| School | Number of Economically Disadvantaged Students | Total Number of Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lewisville High School | 2,892 | 4,162 |
| Ryan High School | 1,331 | 2,156 |
| Little Elm High School | 1,280 | 2,529 |
| Ray Braswell High School | 1,272 | 2,758 |
| Denton High School | 1,130 | 2,054 |
| Creekview High School | 1,005 | 1,680 |
| Hebron High School | 987 | 3,673 |
| Premier High School Online | 961 | 2,677 |
| The Colony High School | 896 | 1,877 |
| Northwest High School | 869 | 2,549 |
| Hedrick Middle School | 676 | 872 |
| Strickland Middle School | 661 | 962 |
| Guyer High School | 636 | 2,570 |
| Rivera Elementary School | 597 | 655 |
| McWhorter Elementary School | 577 | 651 |
| Lakeland Elementary School | 575 | 651 |
| Delay Middle School | 560 | 628 |
| Mill Street Elementary School | 540 | 634 |
| Sheffield Elementary School | 535 | 624 |
| Bettye Myers Middle School | 525 | 834 |
| Central Elementary School | 524 | 542 |
| Jerry R. Walker Middle School | 523 | 930 |
| Southridge Elementary School | 517 | 613 |
| Hodge Elementary School | 505 | 646 |
| Ginnings Elementary School | 505 | 621 |
| Calhoun Middle School | 504 | 738 |
| Evers Park Elementary School | 504 | 689 |
| Oak Point Elementary School | 494 | 975 |
| Marjory Vickery Elementary School | 489 | 624 |
| Marshall Durham Middle School | 483 | 648 |
| Blalack Middle School | 481 | 889 |
| Lake Dallas High School | 458 | 1,285 |
| Long Middle School | 455 | 532 |
| Byron Nelson High School | 452 | 2,892 |
| Clara Love Elementary School | 445 | 876 |
| McMath Middle School | 444 | 782 |
| Rockbrook Elementary School | 441 | 595 |
| Lowell High Strike Middle School | 435 | 929 |
| Alice Moore Alexander | 432 | 580 |
| Lewisville Elementary School | 428 | 492 |
| Huffines Middle School | 415 | 616 |
| Navo Middle School | 406 | 735 |
| McKamy Elementary School | 405 | 523 |
| Paloma Creek Elementary School | 400 | 687 |
| Parkway Elementary School | 399 | 604 |
| Providence Elementary School | 397 | 691 |
| Griffin Middle School | 394 | 720 |
| Independence Elementary School | 388 | 824 |
| Borman Elementary School | 386 | 468 |
| Davis Elementary School | 382 | 478 |
