Panhandle Times

Wheeler School had the highest enrollment among Wheeler County schools, welcoming 408 students during the 2021-22 academic year, according to the Texas Education Agency report.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2021-22 school year, 51.7% of them were boys, and 48.3% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students were Hispanic, representing 57.1% of the Wheeler School total enrollment.

Among the six schools in Wheeler County, Shamrock Elementary School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 187 students, while Fort Elliott School welcomed 159 students and ranked third in the 2021-22 school year.

Wheeler School is a part of Wheeler ISD, which roughly covers schools within Wheeler County with its main office in Wheeler.

In the previous school year, Wheeler School also had the highest number of students among Wheeler County schools.

The Texas education system is currently torn between public schools and taxpayer-funded private schools.

Critics argue that private schools use funds that should go to the public school system, while private school advocates claim they’re offering better education for more Texas students.

Education in Texas is often a hot button issue, especially as test scores lag behind other states.

“The problems commonly cited are flaws in the school financing system, relatively low teacher salary, poor test performance by students, dropouts from traditional schools in favor of charter schools, gun violence, and mental health issues,” claimed the Texas Almanac.

School Name	City	Total School Enrollment
Wheeler School	Wheeler	408
Shamrock Elementary School	Shamrock	187
Fort Elliott School	Briscoe	159
Kelton School	Wheeler	137
Shamrock High School	Shamrock	116
Shamrock Middle School	Shamrock	79