Abilene Times

There were 297 Hispanic students enrolled in Merkel ISD schools in the 2021-22 school year, 4.2% more than the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Merkel ISD schools welcomed 1,087 students during the 2021-22 school year. Among them, Hispanic students comprised 27.3% of the student body to be one of the most represented ethnicities in the district.

Merkel ISD roughly covers schools within Taylor County and has a main office in Merkel.

Among the four schools in Merkel ISD schools, Merkel Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic students in the 2021-22 school year, with a total of 144 students.

Texas is found to be one of the least-educated states in the U.S. A study from WalletHub ranked Texas 41st out of 50 states in terms of the quality of the educational system and how successful students were.

More than 5.4 million students are enrolled in public schools across Texas. Nearly one million of them live in rural areas where options for local public schools are few and far between.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total of Hispanic Students	Hispanic students %
2021-22	1,087	297	27.3
2020-21	1,097	285	26
2019-20	1,108	293	26.4