Our History

The local African American community raised $53 to move the frame building of the former school for white students, which was no longer needed after a new school was built. Anna W. Doyle, a longtime educator who would serve as the head teacher at the Doyle School for nearly two decades, donated the land upon which the relocated building was sited.

The one-room school had no utilities until running water was installed in 1920 and electric lights were installed in 1923. The Black population in Kerrville was small and only 25 students from five north Kerrville families attended. The present school building was built in 1930. Throughout the years, the school expanded to include three classrooms, an auditorium, two bathrooms, and a storage area. As enrollment grew to around 75 students by 1940, educational and extracurricular opportunities were added, including athletic teams, cheerleaders, a choir, and a marching band. In addition to teaching traditional academic subjects, the Doyle School offered classes in theater, music, and home economics, providing further educational enrichment.

The Doyle School remained a segregated school for Black students until the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1966, which led to the integration of Kerrville schools eventually reduced use of the school to a one-year program for elementary students and in 1970, Doyle became a kindergarten campus as an extension of Starkey Elementary School. The Doyle School building was purchased from Kerrville ISD in 2003 and the Doyle School Community Center was established.

The Doyle community is a blend of African American and Hispanic cultures. A flourishing community where everyone knew and looked after each other emerged in the 1940s. Restaurants, dance halls, and churches with thriving congregations were the norm. A change in zoning laws inhibited commerce in the neighborhood. Doyle business owners were unable to pass their businesses to the next generation of their families when they retired, nor could they sell them to others, and the community slowly began to deteriorate.

Today, the Doyle neighborhood is plagued by social and economic inequities, including poverty, lack of education, few employment opportunities, lack of accessible public transportation, food scarcity, and lack of affordable medications and primary and mental healthcare.

In 2020, the Hope for Health Collaborative shone a light on the Doyle community and provided additional staff to support programs to address citizens' needs. This multi-faced project is focused on reconciliation and repairing a century of structural racism, a goal requiring strong partnerships among community stakeholders who are dedicated to change.