Comstock ISD hires Dr. Gary Applewhite as new superintendent

Comstock ISD has handed its next phase of oversight to Dr. Gary Applewhite, approving him as superintendent after the district named him lone finalist on May 7 and waited the 21 days required under Texas law before taking final action on June 1. He is scheduled to begin work in Comstock on Thursday, June 4, and the board is betting his experience can steady a small rural system where every staffing and budget decision carries outsized weight.

The hire matters because Comstock ISD is small enough that a superintendent is not just an administrator, but the face of the district. The system runs one K-12 campus and enrolled 176 students in 2024-25, according to Texas School Report Cards, which gave Comstock an overall B rating, 81 out of 100. Texas Tribune Schools Explorer lists the district as rural, with 166 students in its most recent enrollment data, 71.1% Hispanic students and 49.4% economically disadvantaged students. For families in Comstock, the real measure of success will be whether the district keeps that academic footing while avoiding churn in classrooms, offices and bus routes.

Applewhite brings 18 years in Texas public education and a résumé that reaches from the classroom to district administration. His career has included work as a teacher, coach, bus driver, assistant principal, principal and deputy superintendent. At Brookesmith ISD, where district records list him as deputy superintendent of compliance and accountability, he oversees accountability, compliance, professional development and district operations. Brookesmith is itself a small rural district with 508 students and a C rating, 70 out of 100, giving Applewhite recent experience in the kind of lean, tightly managed environment Comstock faces.

The board’s search also drew in parents and staff through a survey on what they wanted in the next superintendent, a sign that trustees were looking for more than a résumé. Applewhite’s background fits the priorities the district has highlighted: rural schools, college and career readiness, servant leadership, stronger accountability systems, better school culture, more career and technical education, more dual-credit access and more workforce certifications. Those are not abstract goals in a district of this size. They are the practical markers families will use to judge whether the transition is working.

Comstock’s public welcome to Applewhite said, “the future is bright for Comstock.” The next test is whether that optimism shows up in clearer communication, steadier operations and measurable gains that students, teachers and taxpayers can see.