1
Enrollment
563
Elementary
DISTRICT 363 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERKEL ISD·NCES 483034003395
Merkel Elementary School
1602 STH 5TH, MERKEL, TX 79536 · (325) 928-4795 · Taylor County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL563 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.3:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
49%
277 students
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 75 | 13% |
| Kindergarten | 76 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 82 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 92 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 78 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 88 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 72 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (76) is 6% larger than its 5th grade class (72).
Student demographics
44%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within MERKEL ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
42.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +42.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
39.0%
TX avg 45.3% . -28.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 39 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 42 points since 2020, while math scores are down about 28 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 17.0% | 25.0% | 29.0% | 29.0% |
| Mathematics | 14.0% | 25.0% | 29.0% | 32.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 42.0% | 39.0% |
| 2024-25 | 48.0% | 45.0% |
| 2023-24 | 39.0% | 49.0% |
| 2022-23 | 44.0% | 44.0% |
| 2021-22 | 17.0% | 17.0% |
| 2020-21 | 0.0% | 67.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
42.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.7%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Merkel Elementary School
Merkel Elementary School's state test result (42.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel Elementary School this school | 563 | 49.2% | 42.8% |
| Lone Oak Elementary School LONE OAK | 540 | 49.4% | 47.1% |
| Rio Vista Elementary School RIO VISTA | 507 | 50.3% | 41.0% |
| Callisburg Elementary School GAINESVILLE | 531 | 46.7% | 37.5% |
| Canton Elementary School CANTON | 569 | 52.7% | N/A |
| Hilltop Elementary School AZLE | 537 | 48.2% | 42.6% |
Matched among Texas elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Merkel Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Taylor County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.8% | #2,232 of 4,401 | #9 of 19 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #2,998 of 4,466 ▼ 839 | #10 of 19 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #3,481 of 4,466 ▼ 748 | #15 of 19 ▼ 3 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -3.5pp | #809 of 3,998 | #5 of 13 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 563 | #1,922 of 4,938 | #7 of 23 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.7:1 | #1,309 of 4,622 | #4 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 43.9% | #2,853 of 4,628 | #17 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 49.2% | #3,612 of 4,789 | #15 of 23 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.2% | #2,769 of 2,838 | #15 of 15 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
563
+18 (+3%) vs 2020
+17% since 1990-91, when it was 480
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
was 13.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 563 | 41 | 13.7:1 | 49% (277) |
| 2023-24 | 589 | 39.7 | 14.8:1 | 56% (330) |
| 2022-23 | 565 | 39.5 | 14.3:1 | 60% (339) |
| 2020-21 | 545 | 42 | 13.0:1 | 64% (350) |
| 2017-18 | 570 | 40.5 | 14.1:1 | 66% (378) |
| 2015-16 | 278 | 24 | 11.6:1 | 72% (201) |
| 2010-11 | 302 | 21 | 14.4:1 | 58% (174) |
| 2000-01 | 281 | 23 | 12.2:1 | 55% (154) |
| 1990-91 | 480 | 31 | 15.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Merkel Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (570 to 563); teachers up 1% (40.5 to 41).
About Merkel Elementary School
Merkel Elementary School is a public elementary school in MERKEL, Texas. School enrollment was 563 students in 2024-25, in pre-K through 5.
Merkel Elementary School is a school in MERKEL ISD. The district has 3 schools and 1,090 students.
By race and ethnicity, Merkel Elementary School is 71% White. Beyond that, enrollment is 25% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. The White share in Taylor County as a whole is similar, at about 67%. By the diversity index, Merkel Elementary School comes in at 44%.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 13.7:1, with 41 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average ratio among elementary schools in Texas is 15.1:1, higher than at this school. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 49% of enrollment.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Merkel Elementary School is 9.9 points below its prediction. Actual: 42.8%. Predicted: 52.7%.
Taylor County census figures show that median household income is about $67,139, about 29% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 11%. A total of 54 public schools operate in Taylor County, serving about 24,159 students.
Merkel Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes 2 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Merkel Elementary School at 3rd of 9.
Merkel Elementary School is in rural territory some distance from an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Distant.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 3%, from 545 to 563.
Topics for discussion here include school safety, transportation, and start times. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Taylor County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
145,863
Census ACS
Median income
$67,139
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
29%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
54
24,159 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in MERKEL ISD
- Merkel High SchoolHigh · 281 students
- Merkel Middle SchoolMiddle · 246 students
- Taylor County Learning CenterElementary
Other schools in MERKEL
- Merkel High SchoolHigh · 281 students
- Merkel Middle SchoolMiddle · 246 students
Nearby schools
- Merkel Middle School0.1 mi · 246
- Merkel High School0.4 mi · 281
- Trent Independent School District6.9 mi · 144
- Dyess Elementary School12.4 mi · 621
- Clack Middle School13.3 mi · 693
- Bassetti Elementary School13.5 mi · 546
Frequently asked questions
About Merkel Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Merkel Elementary School?
Merkel Elementary School enrolls approximately 563 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Merkel Elementary School serve?
Merkel Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Merkel Elementary School?
Approximately 13.7:1 students per teacher at Merkel Elementary School.
How diverse is Merkel Elementary School?
Merkel Elementary School reports a student body of 71% White, 25% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Merkel Elementary School public or private?
Merkel Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by MERKEL ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.