Original Research by School Decision on Race (roughneck Alternative Center for Education)
RACE (Roughneck Alternative Center for Education) is a small alternative high school serving grades ten and eleven in Sundown, a rural West Texas town. The school currently enrolls a very small number of students and sits within Sundown ISD, which operates a cluster of campuses in the town center around School Street.
As an alternative school, RACE serves students whose needs or circumstances fall outside a traditional high school track. The school is located at 605 South School Street in Sundown, placing it at the geographic heart of the town rather than on a separated campus. It operates within the district's broader institutional frame, but as a separate program with its own enrollment and organization.
State testing data for RACE has been suppressed and is not publicly reported. This is typical for schools with very small enrollment; when a school serves only a handful of students, state testing results cannot be disclosed because individual student performance would be identifiable. A parent interested in the school's academic outcomes or specific program focus should contact the school directly to understand what academic pathways and support structure it offers, what its typical student population looks like, and what transitions or outcomes it aims to facilitate.
The school enrolls students whose racial and ethnic background is mixed. Economic data on free or reduced price lunch eligibility, English learner status, or special education enrollment is not available in the public record. A parent should ask directly about the student population the school serves and any screening, application, or referral process for enrollment.
Sundown itself is a small West Texas community with a long history in oil drilling and ranching. The town's population has declined gradually over recent decades and currently runs around a few thousand residents. Housing values remain well below the Texas and national average, making the area relatively affordable. Most residents own their homes rather than rent. The town has a library that has become a hub for digital access, free wifi, and community programming, and City Hall sits on Slaughter Avenue. There is no public transit system. The nearest larger civic and library resources, including the Hockley County Memorial Library, are about an eleven-mile drive away in Levelland.
Sundown ISD as a whole employs around sixty-four full-time teachers and serves the district's three campuses: elementary (pre-K through grade five), junior high (grades six through eight), and high school (grades nine through twelve), with RACE as a separate tenth and eleventh grade alternative program. No recent published information about district-level strategic priorities or changes was available, so a parent seeking context on the district's direction should reach out to the district office directly.
A prospective student or family should expect to contact RACE and Sundown ISD directly to learn about program eligibility, student support services, the school's academic and behavioral expectations, and what happens after grade eleven. Because enrollment is very small and state data is suppressed, the school's track record and outcomes are not visible in state reporting. Understanding what the school does and how it fits a particular student's needs requires direct conversation with staff.
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