OISD enrollment up, district runs ads in WF

Enrollment at Olney Independent School District is expected to rise by as many as 25 students in the coming school year, as school officials tout the district’s high academic rankings in regional TV ads.

“We are looking at enrollment to be up by 20 to 25 students,” OISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Roach said. “People want to come to a good school district. At some time or another we have had [students] drive in from surrounding towns.”

OISD counted 712 students on its three campuses as of May. The district accepts transfers from surrounding area and has enrolled students from Graham, Lakeside, Wichita Falls, Throckmorton and Archer City, Dr. Roach said. The district also has about 40 employees who live in towns other than Olney, he said.

U.S. News & World Report named Olney High School among its Best High Schools in 2021, ranking it 360th in Texas. The Texas Math & Science Coaches Association named Olney Middle School state champions in 2022.

The OISD board is looking to capitalize on these accolades by creating a TV commercial that has been running in the Wichita Falls market since May.

The 30-second ad features classroom scenes while a narrator explains that “education is the foundation of our community. We empower students to take their talents and abilities to grow beyond measure.”

The ad invites students to “come join the Cub nation.”

Wichita Falls Fox affiliate KJTL will air a feature about OISD from July 13 through July 15 at 9:30 p.m. The publicity boost is part of the board’s instruction to Dr. Roach to burnish the school district’s image for the purpose of bringing young families with children to Olney.

“It’s not just the district pushing this, it’s the whole community,” Dr. Roach said. “It’s got a wonderful manufacturing base. There are jobs. There are churches. This is a good place to raise a family, is the bottom line. It’s like thousands of other little communities but we’re just better than anybody else.”