Iola Independent School District

The Iola Independent School District is a public school district based in Iola, Texas, United States. The district serves Iola and unincorporated areas in northwestern Grimes County.

Schools

The Iola Independent School District operates two schools: Iola Elementary School (grades PK-6) and Iola High School (grades 7-12). Both schools as well as the district's administrative offices are housed on a single campus at the corner of FM 39 and Fort Worth Street.

In September 2009, Iola Elementary School was declared a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education. ^[1]

Student demographics

As of the 2008-2009 school year, Iola ISD enrolled a total of 497 students. ^[2] The gender distribution was 230 males (46.3%) and 267 females (53.7%). ^[3] The ethnic composition of the district was 85.71% White, 10.87% Hispanic, and 3.42% African American. ^[2] 45.1% of the district's students were considered economically disadvantaged ^[4] with 26.0% classified as "At-Risk."

Historic district enrollment

1988-89 - 364 students [5] 1989-90 - 378 students [5] 1990-91 - 373 students [6] 1991-92 - 388 students [6] 1992-93 - 406 students [6]

1993-94 - 422 students [7] 1994-95 - 433 students [7] 1995-96 - 450 students [7] 1996-97 - 491 students [7] 1997-98 - 452 students [7]

1998-99 - 441 students [7] 1999-00 - 473 students [7] 2000-01 - 447 students [7] 2001-02 - 453 students [7] 2002-03 - 451 students [7]

2003-04 - 472 students [7] 2004-05 - 497 students [7] 2005-06 - 508 students [7] 2006-07 - 488 students [7] 2007-08 - 506 students [7]

In 1965 the school had 235 students in all 12 grades in one building. Of the students, 85 were high school students. ^[8]

Controversy

In July 2024, the ACLU of Texas sent the Iola Independent School District a letter, alleging that the district's 2023-2024 dress and grooming code appeared to violate the Texas CROWN Act, a state law which prohibits racial discrimination based on hair texture or styles, and asking the district to revise its policies for the 2024-2025 school year. ^{[9] [10]}

See also

• Texas portal
• Schools portal

• List of school districts in Texas

References

1. "Mumford & Iola Elementary Schools Receive Blue Ribbon Status". KBTX.com. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
2. "Ethnicity Totals by District for District: 093903 (IOLA ISD)". 2008-2009 Student Enrollment Reports. Texas Education Agency, Information Analysis Division. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2010-02-16.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
3. "Gender Totals by District for District: 093903 (IOLA ISD)". 2008-2009 Student Enrollment Reports. Texas Education Agency, Information Analysis Division. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2010-02-16.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
4. "Totals by District for District: 093903 (IOLA ISD)". 2008-2009 Students Economically Disadvantaged. Texas Education Agency, Information Analysis Division. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2010-02-16.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
5. "Annual Performance Report Archives: 1988-89 and 1989-90". Texas Education Agency. 2006-03-01. Archived from the original on 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
6. "AEIS Archives: 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93". Texas Education Agency. 2004-10-24. Archived from the original on 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
7. "Academic Excellence Indicator System". Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
8. Justice, Blair. (column "The Human Side of Science") Houston Post . Sunday May 2, 1965. Perspective Page 5. Available via microfilm from the Houston Public Library Central Library Jesse H. Jones Building.
9. Gross, Kristi (2024-07-24). "ACLU of Texas Finds 51 School Districts Likely Remain in Violation of the CROWN Act". ACLU of Texas. Archived from the original on 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
10. Leffingwell, Kelsey (2024-07-24). "51 Texas school districts violating CROWN Act, ACLU says". Spectrum News . Archived from the original on 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-08-23.

External links

• Iola Independent School District – Official site.