Although West Virginia typically ranks in the bottom end of U.S. states in terms of public education, there are a handful of excellent school districts whose performance belies the state’s academic reputation. Here’s a rundown of the five best school districts in the Mountain State. 

Ohio County Schools is the best school district in West Virginia. Comprising thirteen schools in Ohio County which is located in the state’s Northern Panhandle region, OCS logged a remarkable 97% graduation rate in 2019, which is over ten points higher than the statewide rate.

Placing 2nd in West Virginia is the Wayne County Board of Education, which administers over fifteen schools across several Wayne County communities. Many of the district’s schools are some of the highest performing in the state in academics, athletics, and extracurriculars, and its Spring Valley High School’s Jazz Ensembles recently earned statewide recognition.

Jackson County Schools earns the 3rd spot in the ranking. Made up of thirteen total school campuses, JCS is a leading district in the state in the realm of technology, supplying every high school student with a MacBook and those in grades 3-8 with iPads. 

West Virginia’s 4th best school district is Hancock County Schools, which is headquartered in New Cumberland and consists of three elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. HCS has a graduation rate above state and national averages.

Completing West Virginia’s top five is Greenbrier County Schools, which serves 4,822 students across fourteen schools. The district is the 2nd largest in the state, geographically, and boasts a 92.5% attendance rate. 

Top School Districts in West Virginia, 2020

Methodology

The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.