H. M. King High School in Kleberg County welcomed most students in 2023-24 school year

H. M. King High School had the highest enrollment among Kleberg County schools, welcoming 933 students during the 2023-24 academic year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2023-24 school year, 53.1% of them were boys, and 46.9% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students identified themselves as Hispanic, representing 85.1% of the total enrollment in H. M. King High School.

Among the 12 schools in Kleberg County, Harvey Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 524 students, while Gillett Middle School welcomed 459 students and ranked third in the 2023-24 school year.

H. M. King High School is a part of Kingsville ISD, which roughly covers schools within Kleberg County with its main office in Kingsville.

In the previous school year, H. M. King High School also had the highest number of students among Kleberg County schools.

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.