China, Texas - School System

School System

China is part of the Hardin-Jefferson Independent School District, a school system which spans a large area including China and neighboring cities Nome and Sour Lake, as well as the communities of Meeker, Pinewood, Countrywood, and Greyburg.

Until the 2009-10 school year began, China was home to two of the district's schools, China Elementary (located in the city center across from China's city park) and Henderson Middle School (located on the outskirts of town across Highway 90). However, with the opening of the district's new high school in neighboring Sour Lake, the old high school campus was repurposed into the new Henderson Middle School, and the old middle school campus was renovated and made the new China Elementary. The old elementary buildings are now being utilized as the city's civic complex.

China Elementary caters to families from China and Nome. Students attend China Elementary from kindergarten until the fourth grade (and some attend the school's pre-kindergarten services). From there, they move to the larger Sour Lake Elementary, which provides kindergarten through fifth grade. From there, all students move down Highway 326 to Henderson Middle School between Nome and Sour Lake for sixth through eighth grades, and then to the recently constructed Hardin-Jefferson High School for ninth through twelfth grades.

Both old China Elementary and the old Henderson Middle School used to be part of China School District prior to the consolidation of the local school districts. Before desegregation of schools nationwide in the 1950s, China Elementary (then China School) served white students, whereas Henderson served the African American population.