Mentone established its own school in 1910 as Mentone School as a wooden schoolhouse which had sat on the banks of the Pecos River. However this structure was destroyed after the Pecos River Flood of 1930. The building was moved to Mentone in 1930.
In 1935, a new 1 story brick building was erected. High school classes were held in the brick building while elementary school classes were held in the wooden building. The wooden building (Mentone Elementary School) remained active until 1960.
The advancement in scholastic standing of (towards) the Mentone School was granted in 1937. The status of a first class, fully accredited high school had been granted to Mentone School in September 10, 1938. During the 1937-1938 school is when Mentone High School was established. (Ref: Mentone School Fully Accredited, Abilene Reporter-News, Page 17, September 11, 1938)
During the 1940s, Mentone School had 12 grades which were 1st grad through 12th grade. In 1952, the teacher-student ratio for Mentone School was 3:1. In 1960, Mentone Elementary School were moved to the 1935 brick building and the brick building became Mentone Elementary School and was no longer Mentone High School.
Sheriff McKinley Hopper was said to have been the last person to have graduated Mentone High School and Mentone School. His graduating class had around 7-9 people in 1959. In 1960, Mentone High School closed and elementary students were moved out of the old wooden building that would later become a church and now in the 1935 brick building. The old wooden building became a church and community center.
Throughout Mentone’s history, Mentone School was never a “district school” meaning that the town of Mentone never had its own school district. Instead Mentone School was operated by Pecos County Common School District (now Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD).
The Department of Health Education and Welfare ordered the county to either racially integrate Mentone School or lose its federal money in 1972. Loving County had no black residents had never received a dime's worth of federal school aid. Starting in 1972, 6th graders and above were bused to Wink, Texas to attend school.
(Ref: The Lost Frontier, Life Magazine, March 10, 1972)
Loving County's crime wave in 1972 consisted of a profitless burglary of the schoolhouse (Mentone School) and the theft of several rolls of steel cable from an oil lease. At the time, Mentone School was an elementary school that taught grades 1 through 5. 6th graders and above took almost 80 mile round-trips to Wink by bus on a daily basis. (Ref: The Lost Frontier, Life Magazine, March 10, 1972)
Mentone School was closed and consolidated into Wink ISD in 1972 due to low enrollment. Student enrollment had fallen to just 2 pupils. The Mentone School had 4 pupils and 2 teachers when it closed in 1972. At the time Mentone School closed, Mentone School was an elementary school that taught grades 1 through 5. Mentone had an elementary school until 1972. Mentone is now served by the Wink Independent School District (Wink ISD) along with Loving County. (Ref: TSHAO)
In 1978, Mentone School (Mentone High School) became a town hall for a short while until 1980. 1980 is when Mentone School had been converted into community center and post office.
Today the brick building for Mentone School (formerly Mentone High School) is now been converted a community center and post office. Today the old wooden building for Mentone School (Mentone Elementary School) is now a church and community center.
Mentone School is located at the intersection of Wheat Street & Pecos Street, Mentone, Texas, US 79754.
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