Merkel High School
Public high school in Merkel, Texas · Merkel ISD · Grades 9–12
Merkel High School serves 281 students in grades 9–12 in Merkel (Taylor County). It is one of 3 schools in Merkel ISD. By enrollment it is the 1203rd largest of 1,920 public high schools in Texas (median 457 students). With 7.7 students per full-time teacher, it has fewer students per teacher than the typical Texas high school (14).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,920 Texas high schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 36.3 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | High |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| District | Merkel ISD |
| County | Taylor County |
| Area type | Rural, distant |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 483034003396 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | Merkel ISD | Texas high schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 281 | 1,090 | 457 |
| Students per teacher | 7.7 | 10.5 | 14 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 43.8% | 46.1% | 63.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 9% of Texas high schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Merkel High School in context
Size
Merkel High School is the only high school in Merkel ISD. Its 281 students are 25.8% of the district's 1,090. Its 8 closest high schools sit a median 15.7 miles away with a median enrollment of 196; Merkel High School is larger than most of them.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 9 with 91 students, and its smallest is grade 12 with 49, against an average of 70 per grade. This year grade 12 has 46% fewer students than grade 9 (49 against 91). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is White students: 70.1% here and 69.6% across Merkel ISD. Hispanic students are next, at 25.3%. Students from 5 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
43.8% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 46.1% across Merkel ISD and a median of 63.8% for Texas high schools. Under the Community Eligibility Provision, every student can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge, and families fill out no meal application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 36.3 full-time-equivalent teachers for 281 students, Merkel High School has 7.7 students per teacher. At the median Texas high school ratio of 14, a school with 281 students would have about 20.1 teachers, so Merkel High School has 16.2 more.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas high schools (14).
Location
Merkel High School is in rural territory 5 to 25 miles from an urbanized area, or 2.5 to 10 miles from a town, which NCES calls rural, distant. The nearest other high school is Wylie High School, 15.4 miles away in Wylie ISD. No other high school is within 10 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 70.1% |
| Hispanic | 25.3% |
| Two or more races | 2.5% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1.1% |
| Black | 1.1% |
55.5% of students are girls and 44.5% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 9 | 91 |
| Grade 10 | 74 |
| Grade 11 | 67 |
| Grade 12 | 49 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
2000 S 7th St, Merkel, TX 79536
Phone: (325)928-4667
Website: merkel.esc14.net
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Merkel High School. Blue: the nearest high schools.
Nearby high schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wylie High School | Wylie ISD | 15.4 mi | 1,537 | 15.8 | 17.6% |
| Abilene High School | Abilene ISD | 15.7 mi | 1,798 | 15.9 | 63.3% |
| Premier H S of Abilene | Premier High Schools | 15.7 mi | 176 | 18.1 | 66.5% |
| Texasworks - Abilene | Texas Works | 15.7 mi | 36 | 36 | – |
| Hawley High School | Hawley ISD | 15.8 mi | 216 | 6 | 44.4% |
| Cooper High School | Abilene ISD | 16.6 mi | 1,570 | 14.4 | 61.4% |
| Triumph Public High Schools-Abilene | Triumph Public High Schools-West Texas | 17.1 mi | 85 | 19.1 | – |
| Juvenile Detention Center | Abilene ISD | 17.3 mi | 11 | 5.6 | 63.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in Merkel ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 563 |
| Merkel Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 246 |