Hays County schools enrolled 3,880 students identified as being gifted and talented during the 2023-24 school year, a 9% increase from the previous school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
This translates to roughly 8.8% of the 43,886 students enrolled in the county schools that year.
Hays County enrolled the 25th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alter Impact Center | 2 | 79 |
| Armando Chapa Middle School | 46 | 672 |
| Blanco Vista Elementary School | 51 | 718 |
| Blue Hole Primary School | 10 | 669 |
| Bonham Pre-K School | 0 | 410 |
| Bowie Elementary School | 75 | 577 |
| Buda Elementary School | 56 | 589 |
| Camino Real Elementary School | 25 | 904 |
| Carpenter Hill Elementary School | 43 | 597 |
| Crockett Elementary School | 118 | 487 |
| Cypress Springs Elementary School | 33 | 665 |
| D. J. Red Simon Middle School | 51 | 824 |
| Danforth Junior High School | 52 | 625 |
| Dezavala Elementary School | 79 | 591 |
| Doral Academy of Texas | 66 | 346 |
| Dripping Springs Elementary School | 51 | 1,059 |
| Dripping Springs High School | 204 | 2,484 |
| Dripping Springs Middle School | 82 | 920 |
| Elm Grove Elementary School | 49 | 703 |
| Eric Dahlstrom Middle School | 124 | 873 |
| Goodnight Middle School | 174 | 867 |
| Hemphill Elementary School | 26 | 615 |
| Hernandez Elementary School | 113 | 531 |
| Jack C. Hays High School | 202 | 2,191 |
| Jacob’s Well Elementary School | 42 | 552 |
| Katherine Anne Porter School | 0 | 123 |
| Ki Charter – Desoto | 0 | 26 |
| Ki Charter Academy | 0 | 194 |
| Ki Charter Academy Liberty Hill | 0 | 112 |
| Kyle Elementary School | 47 | 616 |
| Laura B. Negley Elementary School | 95 | 1,016 |
| Laura B. Wallace Middle School | 80 | 785 |
| Lehman High School | 93 | 2,099 |
| Live Oak Academy | 5 | 194 |
| Mendez Elementary School | 73 | 540 |
| Miller Middle School | 238 | 908 |
| R. C. Barton Middle School | 131 | 841 |
| Ralph Pfluger Elementary School | 32 | 751 |
| Rodriguez Elementary School | 60 | 436 |
| Rooster Springs Elementary School | 48 | 763 |
| San Marcos High School | 372 | 2,494 |
| Science Hall Elementary School | 21 | 665 |
| Susie Fuentes Elementary School | 31 | 753 |
| Texas Preparatory School | 0 | 61 |
| Tobias Elementary School | 40 | 726 |
| Tom Green Elementary School | 27 | 594 |
| Travis Elementary School | 54 | 470 |
| Uhland Elementary School | 24 | 797 |
| Walnut Springs Elementary School | 49 | 916 |
| Wimberley High School | 82 | 854 |
