A "miracle school" turnaround, one wheel at a time.
Xiulin Elementary nearly faced closure before 2015, when enrollment had dropped to only about 20 students. A determined principal turned the school around by making unicycling its signature program, drawing new interest from families well beyond the local catchment area. Today the school enrolls about 76 students, with 59 of them commuting in from outside the neighborhood — a remarkable reversal that was featured in CommonWealth Magazine as a "miracle school" turnaround story.
秀林國小在民國104年（2015年）之前一度僅剩約20名學生，瀕臨裁併危機。校長以推廣獨輪車作為學校特色，成功吸引學區外家庭的關注。如今學校在學人數已回升至約76人，其中59人是從學區外通勤而來，這段翻轉歷程曾獲《天下雜誌》以「奇蹟小學」為題專文報導。
What makes this school worth knowing.
🚲 A Unicycling Turnaround
獨輪車翻轉小校
Facing near-closure with only about 20 students, the school's principal introduced unicycling as a signature program that reversed its enrollment decline.
📰 A "Miracle School" in the Media
天下雜誌報導奇蹟小學
Xiulin's turnaround story was featured in CommonWealth Magazine, one of Taiwan's most respected publications, as an example of small rural school innovation.
🚗 Drawing Students From Beyond the District
吸引學區外學生
Of the school's roughly 76 current students, 59 commute in from outside the local catchment area — proof of how far the program's reputation has traveled.
Innovation in the bamboo-and-tea hill country.
Once on the brink of closure, Xiulin Elementary reinvented itself with a unicycling program that has drawn students from across Zhushan Township, a striking example of small rural innovation in the bamboo-and-tea hill country that defines much of the township's landscape. See the Nantou county page for more on the region.
Find the school.
Zhushan Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
南投縣竹山鎮
School's Official Website (Chinese) ↗
Last updated: July 2026 · Content adapted and condensed from the school's official Chinese-language website by the Taiwan Bilingual Hub team, not yet reviewed by the school. If you're from Xiulin Elementary and would like to correct or expand this page, please contact us.