●Dime Box Independent School DistrictHomes for Sale
Market Overview for Dime Box Independent School District
There are 3 active listings in Dime Box Independent School District with a median list price of $452K and a median sold price of $493K.
Homes average 59 days on market.
Over the past 30 days, 1 homes have sold, with 7 sales in the past 12 months.
The average price per square foot is $204.
About Dime Box Independent School District
Dime Box Independent School District is a small, single-campus public school district in eastern Lee County, Texas, serving roughly 170 students (150 in 2023-24) from prekindergarten through 12th grade. The district operates one school, Dime Box School, a multi-level campus housing the district's elementary, middle, and high school grades in the community of Dime Box on Farm-to-Market Road 141, about 12 miles northeast of the county seat at Giddings. Dr. Edna Kennedy serves as superintendent.
Because the district's enrollment is small, Dime Box High School competes in UIL Class 1A and fields a six-man football team; the school's mascot is the Longhorns, with school colors of blue and gold. The Dime Box girls' basketball team reached the state finals in 1982 at the 1A classification. As a PK-12 district on a single campus, Dime Box offers a small-school setting for families in the rural northeastern corner of Lee County.
The community of Dime Box has an unusual name and a distinctive settlement history. The settlement began as Brown's Mill, named for a sawmill established by Joseph S. Brown between 1869 and 1877, and drew a mix of British-American, Czech, Polish, German, and German-Wendish settlers. The name was changed around 1884 after frequent confusion with Brownsville: residents had taken to leaving outgoing mail, along with a dime for postage, in a small box at the mill for weekly pickup and delivery to Giddings — and the "dime box" gave the town its name.
When the Southern Pacific Railroad built a line about three miles southeast in 1913, the original settlement became known as "Old Dime Box," while the community that grew up around the new rail station became "Dime Box." In the 1940s the town gained national attention when a CBS radio broadcast helped launch a March of Dimes fundraising campaign from Dime Box. Today Dime Box (2020 Census population 207) remains a small rural community anchored by ranching, farming, and its school, set in the wooded, gently rolling countryside of eastern Lee County between Giddings and the Brazos Valley.
Living in Dime Box Independent School District
Dime Box lies in the rural northeastern corner of Lee County, on Farm-to-Market Road 141 about 12 miles northeast of Giddings, with State Highway 21 running nearby to the north. Day-to-day life centers on the small community itself and on Giddings, the Lee County seat, which is the nearest town for groceries, shopping, county services, and highway access via U.S. 290 and U.S. 77.
The area has a distinctly rural, agricultural character. Ranching and farming shape the surrounding countryside, and the community's social life revolves around the school, local churches, and the area's German, Wendish, Czech, and Polish settlement heritage dating to the 19th century. The area is split between "Old Dime Box," the original mill settlement, and the present community that grew up around the 1913 rail line about three miles to the southeast, and housing across the area tends toward acreage, farmsteads, and country homesteads rather than dense subdivisions, reflecting the open landscape of eastern Lee County.
For a broader range of retail, dining, and health care, residents travel to Giddings to the southwest or, farther afield, toward Bryan-College Station and the Brazos Valley to the northeast or the Austin metro to the west. Outdoor recreation in the surrounding region includes Lake Somerville State Park and Trailway, within driving distance to the east, which offers camping, fishing, hiking, and equestrian trails, along with the country roads and open ranchland that define this rural part of Central Texas between Austin and the Brazos Valley.
Things to Do in Dime Box Independent School District
- Old Dime Box & New Dime Box: The area's split into 'Old Dime Box' — the original Brown's Mill settlement — and 'Dime Box,' which grew around the 1913 Southern Pacific rail line about three miles southeast, reflects its distinctive settlement history.
- Dime Box's namesake history: The town's unusual name comes from settlers leaving outgoing mail and a dime for postage in a small box at the mill for delivery to Giddings, a story tied to the community's 19th-century roots.
- March of Dimes heritage: In the 1940s a CBS radio broadcast helped launch a March of Dimes fundraising campaign from Dime Box, giving the small town a moment of national attention.
- Lake Somerville State Park & Trailway: Within driving distance east of Dime Box, Lake Somerville's Nails Creek and Birch Creek units offer lakeside camping, fishing, swimming, hiking, and equestrian trails.
- Giddings historic sites: About 12 miles southwest, the Lee County seat of Giddings offers the 1899 courthouse square, the Lee County Museum in the 1879 Schubert-Fletcher House, and the Texas Wendish Heritage Museum in nearby Serbin.
Major Employers in Dime Box Independent School District
- Dime Box Independent School District (Education): Dime Box ISD's single PK-12 campus is the primary employer within the small community of Dime Box.
- Agriculture & Ranching (Agriculture): Farming and ranching across eastern Lee County anchor the local economy around Dime Box, as they have since the area's 19th-century settlement.
- Lee County (Local Government): County government offices in the Lee County seat of Giddings, about 12 miles southwest, are a significant public-sector employer for area residents.
- Giddings State School (State Government): A Texas Juvenile Justice Department secure residential facility near Giddings, within commuting distance, and one of the larger public employers in Lee County.
Dime Box Independent School District Schools
Dime Box ISD serves roughly 170 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade on a single multi-level campus, Dime Box School, in eastern Lee County. Dime Box High School competes in UIL Class 1A six-man football as the Longhorns (colors blue and gold).
School District: Dime Box ISD
Frequently Asked Questions
How many schools are in Dime Box ISD?
Dime Box ISD operates a single multi-level campus, Dime Box School, serving roughly 170 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade in eastern Lee County.
Where is Dime Box ISD located?
The district is in the community of Dime Box on FM 141, in eastern Lee County, about 12 miles northeast of the county seat at Giddings.
What is Dime Box High School's mascot and classification?
Dime Box High School competes in UIL Class 1A and plays six-man football as the Longhorns, with school colors of blue and gold.
How did Dime Box get its name?
The name dates to about 1884, when residents left outgoing mail and a dime for postage in a small box at the local mill for weekly delivery to Giddings — the 'dime box' that named the town.
Who is the superintendent of Dime Box ISD?
Dr. Edna Kennedy serves as superintendent of Dime Box ISD, which operates its single PK-12 campus in Dime Box.