Merkel ISD
Merkel, Texas · Taylor County · Grades Pre-K–12
Merkel ISD runs 3 schools (1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high) with 1,090 students. By enrollment it is the 548th largest of 1210 districts in Texas, where the median district has 886 students. NCES classifies its area as rural, distant.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank compares the 1210 Texas districts listed on this site.
District at a glance
| Schools | 3 |
| Students | 1,090 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 103.8 |
| Students per teacher | 10.5 (state 14.9) |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 46.1% (state 61.6%) |
| County | Taylor County |
| Area type | Rural, distant |
| NCES district ID | 4830340 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, totals of the district's schools. Students per teacher = students ÷ full-time-equivalent teachers.
Schools in Merkel ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 563 | 13.7 | 49.2% |
| Merkel High School | High | 9–12 | 281 | 7.7 | 43.8% |
| Merkel Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 246 | 9.3 | 41.5% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25.
Map of Merkel ISD schools
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Merkel ISD in context
Size
Merkel ISD enrolls less than 0.1% of Texas' 5,544,769 public school students and is close to the median district (886 students). Its schools average 363 students, against 626 for a Texas public school. The largest is Merkel Elementary School (563) and the smallest is Merkel Middle School (246).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment. Share = district students ÷ all students in Texas schools listed here; averages = students ÷ schools.
Grades
Its largest grade this year is grade 6, with 101 students. Grade 12 has 49 students and kindergarten has 76, 36% fewer in the later grade. Each grade is a different group of students, so this is not a dropout or growth rate. Merkel ISD enrolls 75 children in pre-K.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade, all schools in the district.
Students
White students are the largest group in Merkel ISD at 69.6%, above their 24.4% share of Texas public school students. Hispanic students make up 25.6%.
46.1% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, against 61.6% statewide. By school, the share runs from 41.5% at Merkel Middle School to 49.2% at Merkel Elementary School. All 3 of its schools serve free breakfast and lunch to every student under the Community Eligibility Provision or Provision 2 or 3, with no application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District and state shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Staff
Its 103.8 full-time-equivalent teachers work out to 10.5 students per teacher, fewer than the state's 14.9. With 1.2 counselors it has 908 students per counselor; the median Texas district has 379, and the American School Counselor Association recommends no more than 250. It reports 0.6 librarians or media specialists.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 district staff file (full-time equivalents). Students per counselor = district students ÷ counselors. Benchmark: American School Counselor Association, 250 students per counselor.
Location
Merkel ISD is based in rural territory 5 to 25 miles from an urbanized area, or 2.5 to 10 miles from a town, an area NCES calls rural, distant. The nearest district is Trent ISD, 6.8 miles away with 144 students. 8 districts are within 25 miles, and 5 of them enroll more students than Merkel ISD. Taylor County has 5 districts on this site.
Source: NCES EDGE locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines between the average locations of each district's schools.
Staff
| Role | Full-time equivalent | Students per staff member |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers | 99.1 | 11 |
| School counselors | 1.2 | 908 |
| Librarians and media specialists | 0.6 | 1,817 |
| School psychologists | 0 | – |
| Instructional aides | 32.3 | 34 |
| Other student support staff | 4.7 | 232 |
| School administrators | 5.2 | 210 |
| District administrators | 1 | 1,090 |
| All staff | 203.5 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 district staff file. Students per staff member = district students ÷ full-time-equivalent staff in that role. The median Texas district has 379 students per counselor.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 69.6% |
| Hispanic | 25.6% |
| Two or more races | 3.1% |
| Black | 1% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Asian | 0.1% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership, all schools in the district.
Students by grade
| Pre-K | 75 |
| Kindergarten | 76 |
| Grade 1 | 82 |
| Grade 2 | 92 |
| Grade 3 | 78 |
| Grade 4 | 88 |
| Grade 5 | 72 |
| Grade 6 | 101 |
| Grade 7 | 69 |
| Grade 8 | 76 |
| Grade 9 | 91 |
| Grade 10 | 74 |
| Grade 11 | 67 |
| Grade 12 | 49 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Nearby school districts
| District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Calendar 2026–2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trent ISD | 7 mi | 144 | 9.1 | – |
| Hawley ISD | 16 mi | 773 | 8 | – |
| Abilene ISD | 16 mi | 14,536 | 15 | – |
| Wylie ISD | 17 mi | 5,606 | 15.7 | – |
| Anson ISD | 21 mi | 723 | 9.6 | – |
| Sweetwater ISD | 22 mi | 1,806 | 13.3 | – |
| Jim Ned CISD | 22 mi | 1,639 | 13.5 | – |
| Texas Leadership Public Schools | 23 mi | 4,202 | 15.2 | – |
Distance between the average locations of each district's schools (NCES EDGE).
Other school districts in Taylor County
- Abilene ISD (14,536 students)
- Wylie ISD (5,606 students)
- Jim Ned CISD (1,639 students)
- Trent ISD (144 students)
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25, county of each district's office.
Contact
314 Manchester, Merkel, TX 79536
Phone: (325)928-5813
Website: merkelisd.net
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory.