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Ellis County

Texas · Public K-12

83 public K-12 schools operate inside Ellis County, with roughly 46,344 students enrolled, an average of 558 per school. That works out to 49 elementary, 15 middle, and 17 high schools.

4-year change in Ellis County

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Total enrollment
46,344
+5,967 (+15%) vs SY 2020-21
School count
76
+10 (+15%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages

How Ellis County ranks

Among counties
MeasureThis countyIn TexasIn the US
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
48.2%#66 of 192N/A
Enrollment
ranked largest first
46,344#21 of 196#231 of 2,745
Number of schools
ranked most first
76#22 of 196N/A
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.4:1#172 of 196#1,890 of 2,655
Free or reduced-price lunch share
ranked highest first
50.6%#168 of 196#1,591 of 2,526
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
67.6%#17 of 192#206 of 2,707
Counties need at least 3 schools and 1,000 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.

Ellis County school rankings

Largest schoolsAll rankings →
Residents
213,160
all ages · ACS 5-yr
Schools
83
14 districts
Enrollment
46,344
students · NCES CCD
Median income
$99,595
Above Texas avg
Free/reduced lunch
50.5%
Below Texas avg
Elementary
49
21,063 students
Middle
15
10,148 students
High
17
14,528 students
Combined / other
2
605 students
LARGEST DISTRICT
MIDLOTHIAN ISD
11,356 students · 14 districts in Ellis County

County vs. school enrollment demographics

Left bar is the racial makeup of Ellis County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".

County residents
White
60%
Hispanic
28%
Black
15%
Asian
1%
Two or more
15%
Native American
1%
Pacific Islander
0%
School enrollment
White
34%
Hispanic
41%
Black
20%
Asian
1%
Two or more
4%
Native American
0%
Pacific Islander
0%
Bachelor's+
30.1%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
5.3%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
4.5%
civilian labor
Median age
36
26.4% under 18

Test scores in Ellis County

Latest 2025-26 ELA proficiency, 63 schools ranked. Texas state average: 55.6%.

Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
  1. MILFORD SCHOOL· 26.0%
  2. CLIFT EL· 35.0%
  3. HOUSTON EL· 36.0%
  4. ALAMO MIDDLE· 38.0%
  5. BOWIE EL· 39.0%

See all 63 schools in Ellis County ranked by score →

All schools (83)

LargestA-ZTop rated
NameCityLevelGradesEnrollmentRating
WAXAHACHIE H SWaxahachieHigh09-123,056·
RED OAK H SRed OakHigh09-122,297·
MIDLOTHIAN H SMidlothianHigh09-121,976·
ENNIS H SEnnisHigh09-121,887·
MIDLOTHIAN HERITAGE H SMidlothianHigh09-121,760·
RED OAK MIDDLERed OakMiddle06-081,488·
LIFE H S WAXAHACHIEWaxahachieHigh09-121,114·
LIFE SCHOOL RED OAKRed OakElementaryKG-061,045·
WALNUT GROVE MIDDLEMidlothianMiddle06-081,012·
EARL & MARTHALU DIETERICH MIDDLEMidlothianMiddle06-08989·
FERRIS H SFerrisHigh09-12940·
HOWARD J HWaxahachieMiddle06-08918·
ENNIS J HEnnisMiddle07-08908·
FINLEY J HWaxahachieMiddle06-08839·
COLEMAN J HWaxahachieMiddle06-08775·
RUSSELL P SCHUPMANN ELGlenn HeightsElementaryPK-05756·
FRANK SEALE MIDDLEMidlothianMiddle06-08726·
LONGBRANCH ELMidlothianElementaryPK-05686·
JEAN COLEMAN ELMidlothianElementaryPK-05671·
FERRIS J HFerrisMiddle06-08658·
J A VITOVSKY ELMidlothianElementaryPK-05658·
LUCY MAE MCDONALD ELFerrisElementary01-03641·
SHIELDS ELGlenn HeightsElementaryPK-05625·
IRVIN ELMidlothianElementaryPK-05611·
DOLORES MCCLATCHEY ELOvillaElementaryPK-05605·
T E BAXTER ELMidlothianElementaryPK-05594·
WEDGEWORTH ELWaxahachieElementaryKG-05594·
SIMPSON ELWaxahachieElementaryKG-05592·
MT PEAK ELMidlothianElementaryPK-05567·
LIFE MIDDLE WAXAHACHIEWaxahachieMiddle07-08551·
MARVIN BIOMEDICAL ACADEMYWaxahachieElementaryPK-05535·
EASTRIDGE ELRed OakElementaryPK-05530·
DUNAWAY ELWaxahachieElementaryKG-05525·
PALMER ELPalmerElementaryPK-04525·
JACK LUMMUS INTEnnisElementary04-05515·
WOODEN ELRed OakElementaryPK-05508·
BOWIE ELEnnisElementary01-03506·
LARUE MILLER ELMidlothianElementaryPK-05500·
RED OAK ELRed OakElementaryPK-05491·
NORTHSIDE ELWaxahachieElementaryPK-05480·
DAVID S CROCKETT EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTEREnnisElementaryPK-KG479·
FELTY ELWaxahachieElementaryKG-05471·
MANSFIELD HERITAGE ELGrand PrairieElementaryPK-05460·
ALAMO MIDDLEEnnisMiddle06-06457·
SHACKELFORD ELWaxahachieElementaryKG-05452·
CLIFT ELWaxahachieElementaryKG-05449·
DORIE MILLER INTEnnisElementary04-05447·
WILEMON STEAM ACADEMYWaxahachieElementaryKG-05437·
LEE LONGINO ELFerrisElementary04-05436·
PALMER MIDDLEPalmerMiddle05-08423·
G W CARVER EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTEREnnisElementaryPK-KG407·
PALMER H SPalmerHigh09-12403·
AUSTIN ELEnnisElementary01-03394·
RAY ELWaxahachieElementaryPK-05386·
MAYPEARL H SMaypearlHigh09-12373·
WAXAHACHIE GLOBAL H SWaxahachieHigh09-12369·
FAITH FAMILY MASTER ACADEMYWaxahachieElementaryPK-08366·
HOUSTON ELEnnisElementary01-03363·
AVALON SCHOOLAvalonCombinedPK-12347·
LORENE SMITH KIRKPATRICK ELMaypearlElementary02-05342·
HAZEL INGRAM ELFerrisElementaryPK-KG335·
STAFFORD ELItalyElementaryPK-06314·
ITALY H SItalyHigh07-12283·
TRAVIS ELEnnisElementary01-03280·
MAYPEARL MIDDLEMaypearlMiddle06-08265·
MILFORD SCHOOLMilfordCombinedPK-12258·
TURNER PREKINDERGARTEN ACADEMYWaxahachieElementaryPK-PK256·
MAYPEARL PRIMaypearlElementaryPK-01229·
MANSFIELD HERITAGE MIDDLEGrand PrairieMiddle06-08138·
WAXAHACHIE H S OF CHOICEWaxahachieHigh10-1256·
ELLIS CO JJAEPWaxahachieHigh08-126·
ELLIS CO JJAEPWaxahachieHigh09-123·
TRINITY CHARTER SCHOOLS - WAXAHACHIE CAMPUSWaxahachieHigh08-103·
ELLIS CO JJAEPWaxahachieHigh11-111·
ELLIS CO JJAEPWaxahachieHigh10-101·
ELLIS CO JJAEPWaxahachieMiddle06-061·
DR JOY SHAW MIDDLEOvillaElementaryM-M··
ECJS DETENTION FACILITYWaxahachieElementaryM-M··
ELLIS CO JJAEPWaxahachieElementaryM-M··
ELLIS CO JJAEPWaxahachieElementaryM-M··
ELLIS CO JJAEPWaxahachieElementaryM-M··
ELLIS COUNTY JJAEPWaxahachieElementaryM-M··
WAXAHACHIE CREEK H SWaxahachieElementaryM-M··

Cities in Ellis County

Waxahachie32 schoolsMidlothian12 schoolsEnnis11 schoolsRed Oak6 schoolsFerris5 schoolsMaypearl4 schoolsPalmer3 schoolsGlenn Heights2 schoolsGrand Prairie2 schoolsItaly2 schoolsOvilla2 schoolsAvalon1 schoolMilford1 school

About Ellis County

Ellis County is a middle-population Texas county of about 213,160 residents, home to 83 public schools and roughly 46,344 students.

Zooming out, census numbers show median household income runs near $99,595, 30% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the federal-poverty share is near 5%. That income level is 50% meaningfully above the Texas median.

Looking at the level breakdown, Ellis County consists of 49 elementary schools (21,063 students), 15 middle schools (10,148), 17 high schools (14,528), and 2 combined or other schools.

The largest single district in Ellis County is MIDLOTHIAN ISD, which alone enrolls about 11,356 students.

Five-year track record. Total public-school enrollment in Ellis County has climbed 15% since SY 2020-21, moving from about 40,377 students to 46,344. The school count climbed from 66 to 76 across the same 4-year window.

On allk12, the community for Ellis County discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.

Frequently asked questions

How many public schools are in Ellis County?
Ellis County, Texas has 83 public K-12 schools serving approximately 46,344 students.
How many high schools are in Ellis County?
Ellis County, Texas has 17 public high schools, serving approximately 14,528 students.
How many middle schools are in Ellis County?
Ellis County, Texas has 15 public middle schools, serving approximately 10,148 students.
How many elementary schools are in Ellis County?
Ellis County, Texas has 49 public elementary schools, serving approximately 21,063 students.
What is the largest school district in Ellis County?
MIDLOTHIAN ISD is the largest school district in Ellis County, serving approximately 11,356 students. The county contains 14 school districts overall.
What is the population of Ellis County?
Ellis County, Texas has a population of approximately 213,160, with a median age of 36. About 26.4% of residents are under 18.
What is the median household income in Ellis County?
Median household income in Ellis County is $99,595, above the Texas average of $66,482. About 5.3% of residents live below the federal poverty line.
How educated are residents of Ellis County?
Approximately 30.1% of adults 25 and older in Ellis County hold a bachelor's degree or higher, according to the Census ACS 5-year estimate.
What share of students in Ellis County qualify for free or reduced lunch?
Roughly 50.5% of students in Ellis County public schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common proxy for low-income enrollment. This is lower than the Texas county average of 61.1%.
What is the student-teacher ratio in Ellis County schools?
Across Ellis County public schools, the enrollment-weighted student-teacher ratio is approximately 15.7 to 1.
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data