From a two-room cabin in 1872, the Commerce public school system has grown into a multi-million dollar conglomerate in 1984 with an annual budget of $3,565.225. (The 2007-2008 CISD budget is over $15 million.)

However, a public school system involves much more than the physical plant, and a true history requires more than a mere chronological journal. Merely for organization, this informal account drawn from a number of sources that are regarded as reliable will be arranged in relation to the terms of the various superintendents.

And while the superintendent usually is the primary influence in a school sytem, many others must be considered--prevailing economic conditions, tax base, local attitude toward learning, politics, demographics, technological developments and state and federal assistance.

Commerce is located in an area that has experienced no rapid growth, no influx of people, and has never had the benefit of wealth such as oil and gas or large industries. The area has been dependent on agriculture, the railroads, and the local university. Not until recent years has industry of any significant size added to the tax base.

It also is almost impossible to tabulate a true picture of enrollment because in more than 100 years the number of grades has increased at intervals and no statistics until the 1960s have included the school in the Norris community.