PALESTINE H S

Set in PALESTINE, Texas, PALESTINE H S is a mid-sized high school, overseen by PALESTINE ISD. It serves 1,003 students across grades 9 through 12. That puts it 26% bigger than the typical public school in Texas, which averages around 796 students.

PALESTINE ISD comprises 6 schools with combined enrollment of 3,186 students; PALESTINE H S is among them.

Demographically, PALESTINE H S shows that the most-represented group is Hispanic (46%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest looks like 27% White, 21% Black, 5% multiracial. By comparison, Anderson County as a whole is about 20% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 80 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.5:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.1:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 77% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Anderson County runs at roughly 68%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, PALESTINE H S tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 40.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 53.1%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Anderson County) records that the typical household earns roughly $62,068 per year, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Anderson County's 26 public schools (combined enrollment of about 8,071 students), PALESTINE H S is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is PALESTINE J H, roughly 0.1 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), PALESTINE H S ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 38.9%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 4%: 966 students in 2018 compared to 1,003 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 27% to 21% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.