Excelsior Common School No. 47

Excelsior Common School No. 47. . Common schools (public schools) sometimes including both primary and secondary grades but usually primary grades alone, blanketed most of rural Texas in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the 1880s, the citizens of Aiken created Wheeler School as a common school. Sometime shortly after its establishment, the name changed to Excelsior. William Henry Wheeler and his wife, Allie, sold one acre of land on the Center-Martinsville Road for school purposes to the trustees of Excelsior School on November 23, 1909. As the student body of Excelsior increased, John Beasley built a new schoolhouse in 1916., The number of students continued to grow with the consolidation of Excelsior and White Rock School. Named for White Rock Baptist Church, White Rock School existed for a number of years until their school population slowly decreased and eventually merged with nearby Excelsior in 1933. In 1979, Excelsior changed from being a common school to being an Independent School District., Out of the approximately ninety common schools located in Shelby County in the late nineteenth century, what is now Excelsior ISD is the last remaining common school in the area. Although it only serves students up until the eighth grade, Excelsior prepares their students for high school whether they continue their education at nearby Center or Martinsville High Schools or elsewhere. Numerous families have seen several generations attend the school and add to its long heritage. Excelsior is at the heart of the local community, a community who supports, influences and guarantees stability for the school for generations to come.