Enrollment
281
High
DISTRICT 363 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERKEL ISD·NCES 483034003396
Merkel High School
2000 S 7TH ST, MERKEL, TX 79536 · (325) 928-4667 · Taylor County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL281 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 12% of Texas public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public high schools
Student : Teacher
7.7:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.3:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
44%
123 students
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 91 | 32% |
| Grade 10 | 74 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 67 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 49 | 17% |
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
Feeds from
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
64.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +47.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
64.0%
TX avg 45.3%
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 64 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 47 points since 2020.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 10.0% | 54.0% | 18.0% | 18.0% |
| Mathematics | 33.0% | 31.0% | 28.0% | 8.0% |
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 | 64.0% | 64.0% |
| 2024-25 | 48.0% | 27.0% |
| 2023-24 | 50.0% | 25.0% |
| 2022-23 | 25.0% | N/A |
| 2021-22 | 33.0% | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 17.0% | N/A |
% 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
44.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.0%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% 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 High School
Merkel High School's state test result (44.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel High School this school | 281 | 43.8% | 44.2% |
| Collinsville High School COLLINSVILLE | 298 | 43.6% | 37.6% |
| Martins Mill High School MARTIN'S MILL | 262 | 44.7% | 50.1% |
| Harmony High School BIG SANDY | 273 | 44.3% | 66.3% |
| Hawley High School HAWLEY | 216 | 44.4% | 66.7% |
| North Hopkins High School SULPHUR SPRINGS | 231 | 47.2% | 52.1% |
Matched among Texas high 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 High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Taylor County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 44.2% | #1,015 of 1,385 | #6 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 64.0% | #230 of 1,425 ▲ 840 | #3 of 6 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 64.0% | #512 of 1,425 ▲ 427 | #4 of 6 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 281 | #1,197 of 2,107 | #6 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 7.7:1 | #9 of 1,344 | #1 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.4% | #823 of 1,346 | #5 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 43.8% | #1,135 of 1,522 | #5 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.5% | #239 of 557 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high 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
281
-36 (-11%) vs 2020
-20% since 1990-91, when it was 351
Student : Teacher
7.7:1
was 9.1:1
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 | 281 | 36.3 | 7.7:1 | 44% (123) |
| 2023-24 | 295 | 34.2 | 8.6:1 | 48% (143) |
| 2022-23 | 327 | 34.4 | 9.5:1 | 48% (158) |
| 2020-21 | 317 | 35 | 9.1:1 | 47% (150) |
| 2017-18 | 314 | 32.5 | 9.7:1 | 60% (189) |
| 2015-16 | 320 | 34 | 9.4:1 | 52% (165) |
| 2010-11 | 304 | 34 | 8.9:1 | 46% (141) |
| 2000-01 | 448 | 37 | 12.1:1 | 35% (155) |
| 1990-91 | 351 | 43 | 8.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Merkel High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (314 to 281); teachers up 12% (32.5 to 36.3).
About Merkel High School
Merkel High School is a very small high school based in MERKEL, Texas. Its enrollment is 281 students, spread over grades 9 through 12. Across high schools in Texas, the average enrollment is about 796.
MERKEL ISD is the district for Merkel High School. It has 3 schools and 1,090 students.
More than half of the students at Merkel High School are White (70%). Beyond that, enrollment is 25% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. That is in line with Taylor County, where about 67% of residents are White. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Merkel High School scores 44%.
Classroom staffing at Merkel High School totals 36.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 7.7:1. Statewide, high schools in Texas average 15.1:1. Federal data show 44% of students (123) are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Across public schools in Taylor County, the average is 53%.
Among Texas public high schools, Merkel High School outscored 12%, which works out to a D on the allk12 Grade.
On BeatsExpectations, Merkel High School is 10.8 points below its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Texas schools.
The county, Taylor County, is where the school is located. Median household income comes to about $67,139, about 29% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 11% of residents are in poverty. The county has 54 public schools and about 24,159 students.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Merkel Elementary School, is about 0.4 miles. There are 2 other public schools within five miles. Merkel High School places 2nd of 9 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
Locale: Rural: Distant. In NCES terms, the school is in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Federal enrollment counts decreased from 317 (2020-21) to 281 (2024-25). Students per teacher dropped from 9.1 in 2020-21 to 7.7 in 2024-25.
Anyone can start a thread about open houses, carpools, and field trips at Merkel High School. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
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 Elementary SchoolElementary · 563 students
- Merkel Middle SchoolMiddle · 246 students
- Taylor County Learning CenterElementary
Other schools in MERKEL
- Merkel Elementary SchoolElementary · 563 students
- Merkel Middle SchoolMiddle · 246 students
Nearby schools
- Merkel Elementary School0.4 mi · 563
- Merkel Middle School0.5 mi · 246
- Trent Independent School District6.6 mi · 144
- Dyess Elementary School12.7 mi · 621
- Clack Middle School13.6 mi · 693
- Bassetti Elementary School13.8 mi · 546
Frequently asked questions
About Merkel High SchoolHow many students attend Merkel High School?
Merkel High School enrolls approximately 281 students in grades 09-12.
Is Merkel High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Merkel High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Merkel High School have?
Merkel High School employs 36 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 7.7:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Merkel High School?
At Merkel High School, the student body is approximately 70% White, 25% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Two or more.
What district is Merkel High School in?
Merkel High School is part of MERKEL ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.