Divide Independent School District

Divide Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Mountain Home in western Kerr County, Texas, United States.^[1]

In terms of students served, Divide ISD is the smallest district in Texas; the 2015 "graduation/promotion ceremony" featured a mere 11 students and the district had as few as eight students at the beginning of the 2014–2015 school year.^[2] Divide ISD serves much of western Kerr County. Divide ISD is one of the few remaining schools called "one room schoolhouses" in the United States.^[3] Technically it is not a one-room schoolhouse according to a Texas Monthly article by Katy Vine, as the original school building – still in use – does not hold the pre-Kindergarten classes. In the original building there are two classrooms since the district divided the original single room into two.^[2]

Divide Independent School District consists of one school: Divide Elementary School, serving grades pre-Kindergarten through six. Students attend middle and high school in the neighboring Ingram Independent School District.^[4]

In 2007 it was rated "exemplary" by the Texas Education Agency. Katherine Leal Unmuth of The Dallas Morning News stated that year that, because Divide ISD had such a small student body, it could more easily get an exemplary rating under TEA rules at the time compared to larger districts; due to differing demographics, Divide ISD could gain exemplary ratings by succeeding in three of 36 different tasks.^[5]

History

In 1882 the Divide Common School District was established. Early in its history, the school moved according to the district's population patterns.^[4]

Fred "Barney" Klein obtained the funds to establish the school to serve an area that became populated after the state government built the relevant section of Texas State Highway 41;^[2] this school building opened in 1936, and it remained in the same location since.^[4]

The district was previously named the Divide Common School District but received its current name on July 1, 1989; on that day its ID number changed from #133‐012 to #133‐905. The district is not to be confused with the former Divide Independent School District which in 1985 became part of the Blackwell Consolidated Independent School District.^[6]

District area

The district, about 340 acres (140 ha) in size, lacks centers of commerce and business and consists of ranchland. As of 2002^[update] about 200 people live in its area.^[7]

Demographics

The student body varies from period and period due to the nature of employment on ranches.^[2]

Transportation

As of 2015^[update] the district uses a converted limousine purchased from a buyer in Dallas as a school bus.^[2]

References

"Texas School Performance Review Divide Independent School District" (PDF). Texas Comptroller. 2002-06-14.

Notes

^ "Texas School Directory, 2020-21" (PDF). Texas Education Agency. p. 8 (PDF p. 14/414). Retrieved 2022-07-03. 120 DIVIDE SCHOOL RD MOUNTAIN HOME
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Vine, Katy (September 2015). "Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
^ "Executive Summary". Texas School Performance Review Divide Independent School District. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. June 2002. Retrieved 2019-04-26.
^ ^a ^b ^c TSPR, p. 3.
^ Unmuth, Katherine Leal. "State's exemplary schools not judged on all criteria" (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. Sunday September 9, 2007. Retrieved on August 22, 2015.
^ "CONSOLIDATIONS, ANNEXATIONS AND NAME CHANGES FOR TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS" (PDF). Texas Education Agency. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2019-10-30. Divide ISD #177‐904 consolidated to Blackwell ISD #177‐903 to form Blackwell CISD effective 9/1/1985[...]Divide CSD #133‐012 reclassified to ISD. New name Divide ISD #133‐905 effective 7/1/1989
^ "Community Involvement". Texas School Performance Review Divide Independent School District. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. June 2002. Archived from the original on 2003-05-09. Retrieved 2019-04-26.