Welcome to Brookesmith, Texas. Many people in Brown County have never even been here, yet this community has been around for at least 120 years. History shows that present-day Brookesmith was named Serville until it was changed to Brookesmith in 1902. Serville was a very common French name in 1880’s Louisiana. In fact, there is a large region in France with that very name. So, it’s conceivable that Brookesmith had some French connections.

David Smith renamed Serville to Brookesmith in 1902 to honor the man who had done so much to develop the town. The first school, a one-room brick building, was built on a hill overlooking the town. The town boasted a two-story hotel built in 1903. Over the next 27 years Brookesmith grew to be a bustling place, adding a lumber yard, three grocery stores, two gas stations and a barber shop. A new school was built in 1930. Brookesmith even had three cotton gins until cotton declined in the late 1950s.

In the 1980s the school was reclassified as a grade 12 school. In 1996, a new gym was built to replace the old rock gym. The new gym was connected to the cafeteria. A football concession stand was built in the summer of 1997. During the 2000-2001 school year Brookesmith began distance learning classes through Howard College, which included dual credit high school/college courses. A new elementary was built in 2001 which contained a library, administration offices, seven classrooms and a Distance Learning lab.

The school continued to function as usual until August of 2016 when, due to a series of unfortunate events, the school almost closed its doors. To the great credit of the school board, new executive leadership was immediately brought on and the school did not, as was widely expected, close. In October, 2016, the long road to fiscal and academic recovery began.

Fast forward five years and the school’s attendance, financial health and academic standing exceeded all expectations. Today’s average daily attendance totals almost 200 students. Approximately 140 students are from Brookesmith and the surrounding areas of Brownwood, Bangs and Early. An additional 50 students are served on satellite campuses in the Houston area.

Today, the Superintendent and Principal are seeking to expand academic offerings as well as industry-recognized vocational certifications. Students can take dual credit college courses and have garnered enough credits to earn associate degrees upon high school graduation. Brookesmith students may take a variety of vocational classes through Ranger Community College which result in certifications that make them workforce ready.

The census for 1980-1990 shows the population of Brookesmith was 61. A U.S. Census Bureau release in the 2019 American Community Survey indicated the Brookesmith community had 418 residents, 202 males and 216 females. As of October, 2021, the voter registration roll for Brookesmith shows 593 registered voters.

Clearly, Brookesmith is not going anywhere. The community and the school support each other, and both are growing. The future looks bright!