Ellis County schools enrolled 2,992 students identified as being gifted and talented during the 2023-24 school year, a 5.8% increase from the previous school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
This translates to roughly 6.7% of the 44,445 students enrolled in the county schools that year.
Ellis County enrolled the 28th highest 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.
| School | Number of gifted and talented students | Total Number of students |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Elementary School | 11 | 370 |
| Avalon School | 11 | 349 |
| Bowie Elementary School | 38 | 484 |
| Dorie Miller Intermediate School | 40 | 419 |
| Dunaway Elementary School | 24 | 465 |
| Earl & Marthalu Dieterich Middle School | 69 | 990 |
| Eastridge Elementary School | 33 | 536 |
| Eddie Finley Senior Junior High School | 97 | 838 |
| Ellis County JJAEP | 0 | 9 |
| Ennis High School | 172 | 1,848 |
| Ennis Junior High School | 112 | 891 |
| Evelyn Love Coleman Junior High School | 103 | 814 |
| Ferris High School | 52 | 888 |
| Ferris Junior High School | 51 | 606 |
| Frank Seale Middle School | 42 | 666 |
| G. W. Carver Early Childhood Center | 0 | 442 |
| Houston Elementary School | 20 | 336 |
| Irvin Elementary School | 19 | 628 |
| Italy High School | 15 | 298 |
| J. A. Vitovsky Elementary School | 20 | 625 |
| Jack Lummus Intermediate School | 60 | 466 |
| Larue Miller Elementary School | 46 | 502 |
| Lee Longino Elementary School | 21 | 396 |
| Longbranch Elementary School | 47 | 664 |
| Lorene Smith Kirkpatrick Elementary School | 22 | 354 |
| Lucy Mae McDonald Elementary School | 35 | 662 |
| Margaret L. Felty Elementary School | 38 | 528 |
| Marvin Elementary School | 22 | 491 |
| Max H. Simpson Elementary School | 51 | 679 |
| Maypearl High School | 29 | 379 |
| Maypearl Middle School | 22 | 270 |
| Maypearl Primary School | 1 | 221 |
| Midlothian Heritage High School | 106 | 1,603 |
| Midlothian High School | 132 | 1,940 |
| Milford School | 17 | 261 |
| Mt. Peak Elementary School | 21 | 600 |
| Northside Elementary School | 14 | 497 |
| Oliver E. Clift Elementary School | 15 | 608 |
| Palmer Elementary School | 16 | 526 |
| Palmer High School | 27 | 388 |
| Palmer Middle School | 25 | 424 |
| Red Oak Elementary School | 31 | 523 |
| Red Oak High School | 108 | 2,163 |
| Red Oak Middle School | 130 | 1,540 |
| Robbie E. Howard Junior High School | 116 | 786 |
| Russell P. Schupmann Elementary School | 34 | 706 |
| Shackelford Elementary School | 23 | 441 |
| Shields Elementary School | 24 | 595 |
| Stafford Elementary School | 6 | 330 |
| T. E. Baxter Elementary School | 26 | 584 |
| Travis Elementary School | 9 | 284 |
| Turner Prekindergarten Academy | 0 | 261 |
| Walnut Grove Middle School | 95 | 988 |
| Waxahachie Global High School | 95 | 356 |
| Waxahachie High School | 291 | 3,110 |
| Waxahachie High School of Choice | 0 | 55 |
| Wedgeworth Elementary School | 35 | 684 |
| Wilemon Steam Academy | 35 | 430 |
| Wooden Elementary School | 35 | 524 |
