The historical journey down the road leading to the present day West Rusk County Consolidated Independent School District has been an eventful one. Beginning in the 30 or 40 small 19th century rural western Rusk County schools and progressing through the illustrious heritage of two of the largest and richest rural school districts in the world, it has now culminated in the proud West Rusk County Consolidated Independent School District of today.

By the 1964-1965 school year, enrollment in the Gaston Independent School District had dropped to 552 students. Enrollment had dropped to 651 students in London Independent School District.

In 1965, with the decreasing enrollment and a steady decreasing value in tax revenues due to the depletion of oil reserves in the field, the London and Gaston school trustees met jointly in January of 1965 to discuss and consider the proposition of taking the necessary steps to bring about the consolidation of the two districts. After being approved by the London ISD and Gaston ISD voters, the West Rusk County Consolidated District was born.

The London and Gaston student councils each conducted a straw vote to determine the mascot for their new school, and it was revealed that West Rusk would be known as the Raiders. On October 11, 1965, the school board authorized the student body to select a school emblem to depict the “West Rusk Raider.” At the May 6 meeting of the board it was decided to take the blue from the London school colors and the white from the Gaston school colors for the West Rusk colors.