Pingxi Junior High School

Pingxi Junior High opened in 1968, its size directly tracking the fortunes of the local coal-mining economy. Enrollment peaked at 23 classes in 1976, at the height of Pingxi's coal era, then shrank to just 6 classes by 1991 as the mines closed one by one. In 1995 the school became a 慈輝專案 residential support school, providing housing and stability for students from families facing hardship in the depopulating valley. Where coal once drove the local economy, tourism — centered on the Pingxi sky lanterns and the historic coal railway — has since become the region's economic anchor.

平溪國中創立於民國57年（1968年），校運直接反映了在地煤礦經濟的興衰。民國65年（1976年），煤礦業最盛時期，班級數達到高峰的23班；隨著礦坑陸續關閉，到民國80年（1991年）已萎縮至僅6班。民國84年（1995年），學校轉型為「慈輝專案」住宿型學校，為人口持續外流山谷中面臨困境的家庭學生提供住宿與生活支持。曾經以煤礦支撐的在地經濟，如今已由天燈觀光與平溪鐵路的歷史觀光取而代之。