Abilene Times

There were eight American Indian students enrolled in Merkel ISD schools in the 2022-23 school year, the same number as the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Data showed that Merkel ISD schools welcomed 1,140 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, American Indian students comprised 0.7% of the student body to be one of the least represented ethnicities in the district.

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

Among the three schools in Merkel ISD schools, Merkel High School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of four 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 American Indian Students	American Indian students %
2022-23	1,140	8	0.7%
2021-22	1,087	8	0.7%
2020-21	1,097	7	0.6%
2019-20	1,108	4	0.4%