Abilene Times

Lone Star Online Academy had the highest enrollment among Nolan County schools, welcoming 2,444 students during the 2021-22 academic year, according to the Texas Education Agency report.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2021-22 school year, 50.5% of the students were girls, and 49.5% were boys.

Data also showed that the majority of students were Hispanic, representing 51.7% of the Lone Star Online Academy total enrollment.

Among the 12 schools in Nolan County, Sweetwater High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 587 students, while Sweetwater Middle School welcomed 478 students and ranked third in the 2021-22 school year.

Lone Star Online Academy is a part of Pineywoods Community Academy, which roughly covers schools within Nolan County with its main office in Livingston.

In the previous school year, Sweetwater High School had the highest number of students among Nolan 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
Lone Star Online Academy	Livingston	2,444
Sweetwater High School	Sweetwater	587
Sweetwater Middle School	Sweetwater	478
Sweetwater Intermediate School	Sweetwater	405
Roscoe Collegiate High School	Roscoe	272
Southeast Elementary School	Sweetwater	258
Roscoe Elementary School	Roscoe	258
East Ridge Elementary School	Sweetwater	254
Highland School	Roscoe	226
Blackwell School	Blackwell	155
Roscoe Collegiate Montessori Early Childhood	Roscoe	107
Southeast Early Childhood Center	Sweetwater	72