West Virginia

Q: How many public schools are in West Virginia?

West Virginia has 644 public schools across 56 school districts, serving approximately 249,463 students.

Q: What is the average per-pupil spending in West Virginia?

The average per-pupil expenditure across West Virginia's school districts is $18,656 — 30% above the national average of $14,347.

Q: What is the graduation rate in West Virginia?

The average high school graduation rate across West Virginia's school districts is 91.7%, which is above the national average of 86.5%.

Q: Which school district in West Virginia has the highest graduation rate?

Among West Virginia's school districts with available data, OHIO COUNTY SCHOOLS has the highest graduation rate at 98.0%.

Q: What standardized tests do students take in West Virginia?

West Virginia uses the WVGSA (West Virginia General Summative Assessment) to measure student academic progress and school performance.

644 Schools56 Districts249K Students

$18,656

Avg Per-Pupil Spend

+30% nat'l

—

Free Lunch Rate

National avg 52.2%

91.7%

Graduation Rate

+5.2pp vs nat'l

42/100

Opportunity Score

Limited

⇄ Compare West Virginia with another state

About West Virginia Public Schools

West Virginia is the poorest state in the nation by median household income, and its public school system reflects that reality: per-pupil spending is below average, teacher pay has historically been low (sparking the nationally watched 2018 teacher strike that ignited similar actions across the country), and enrollment has declined by over 20% since 2000 as out-migration has hollowed out many communities. The state passed the Hope Scholarship Act in 2021, one of the most expansive universal ESA programs in the country, providing public funds for private school tuition. The 55 county school systems serve a predominantly white, low-income rural population. Recent curriculum reform efforts have focused on career and technical education pathways aligned to the state's energy and manufacturing economy. West Virginia uses the WV General Summative Assessment (WVGSA).

Largest District

KANAWHA COUNTY SCHOOLS

24K students

Highest Per-Pupil

WV SCHOOLS FOR THE DEAF AND THE BLIND

School Districts (56)

Per-pupil spending in West Virginia ranges from $12,777 to $166,308 across districts with available data. State avg: $18,656.

District	Schools	Students	Per-Pupil	Grad Rate	Free Lunch	Opp.
Large Districts — 10,000+ Students
KANAWHA COUNTY SCHOOLS	64	24K	$17,075↓8%	86.6%↓6%	—	38
BERKELEY COUNTY SCHOOLS	31	20K	$13,399↓28%	95.6%	—	35
WOOD COUNTY SCHOOLS	24	12K	$13,290↓29%	91.6%	—	41
CABELL COUNTY SCHOOLS	25	11K	$15,738↓16%	88.6%	—	37
MONONGALIA COUNTY SCHOOLS	17	11K	$15,071↓19%	91.5%	—	46
RALEIGH COUNTY SCHOOLS	26	11K	$14,950↓20%	86.9%↓5%	—	40
Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students
HARRISON COUNTY SCHOOLS	25	9,920	$14,955↓20%	93.4%	—	42
PUTNAM COUNTY SCHOOLS	22	8,993	$14,128↓24%	96.5%↑5%	—	42
MERCER COUNTY SCHOOLS	24	8,686	$14,274↓23%	88.9%	—	40
JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOLS	16	8,389	$13,937↓25%	89.9%	—	40
MARION COUNTY SCHOOLS	19	7,406	$14,780↓21%	91.6%	—	47
WAYNE COUNTY SCHOOLS	18	6,240	$14,947↓20%	85.4%↓7%	—	38
FAYETTE COUNTY SCHOOLS	11	5,613	$14,904↓20%	89.1%	—	41
LOGAN COUNTY SCHOOLS	17	5,190	$14,663↓21%	91.6%	—	36
OHIO COUNTY SCHOOLS	13	4,953	$19,687↑6%	98.0%↑7%	—	42
GREENBRIER COUNTY SCHOOLS	14	4,702	$15,175↓19%	92.0%	—	39
MARSHALL COUNTY SCHOOLS	13	4,239	$18,348	93.7%	—	46
JACKSON COUNTY SCHOOLS	12	4,135	$14,311↓23%	92.0%	—	38
PRESTON COUNTY SCHOOLS	10	4,090	$12,777↓32%	91.0%	—	45
MINERAL COUNTY SCHOOLS	13	4,023	$14,376↓23%	97.5%↑6%	—	43
MASON COUNTY SCHOOLS	11	3,788	$13,705↓27%	93.3%	—	38
UPSHUR COUNTY SCHOOLS	9	3,776	$13,627↓27%	90.0%	—	41
MINGO COUNTY SCHOOLS	9	3,719	$13,594↓27%	95.6%	—	41
RANDOLPH COUNTY SCHOOLS	13	3,638	$14,067↓25%	94.2%	—	44
WYOMING COUNTY SCHOOLS	13	3,609	$14,949↓20%	95.0%	—	44
HANCOCK COUNTY SCHOOLS	7	3,497	—	80.6%↓12%	—	40
NICHOLAS COUNTY SCHOOLS	13	3,484	$13,362↓28%	95.8%	—	42
BOONE COUNTY SCHOOLS	12	3,188	$15,311↓18%	88.2%	—	39
LINCOLN COUNTY SCHOOLS	8	2,942	$14,994↓20%	92.0%	—	43
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY SCHOOLS	8	2,801	$15,081↓19%	85.0%↓7%	—	42
MCDOWELL COUNTY SCHOOLS	9	2,537	$16,195↓13%	87.0%↓5%	—	38
BROOKE COUNTY SCHOOLS	6	2,479	$16,231↓13%	96.0%	—	41
LEWIS COUNTY SCHOOLS	6	2,403	$13,986↓25%	92.0%	—	45
WETZEL COUNTY SCHOOLS	8	2,258	$21,746↑17%	89.7%	—	44
TAYLOR COUNTY SCHOOLS	5	2,213	$13,091↓30%	92.0%	—	40
HARDY COUNTY SCHOOLS	6	2,194	$13,674↓27%	92.0%	—	40
MORGAN COUNTY SCHOOLS	7	2,183	$13,615↓27%	85.0%↓7%	—	—
BARBOUR COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION	7	2,157	$13,070↓30%	97.5%↑6%	—	47
ROANE COUNTY SCHOOLS	5	1,795	$14,563↓22%	92.0%	—	42
BRAXTON COUNTY SCHOOLS	8	1,726	$13,977↓25%	97.5%↑6%	—	43
MONROE COUNTY SCHOOLS	4	1,651	$16,309↓13%	97.5%↑6%	—	45
CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS	6	1,632	$15,556↓17%	87.0%↓5%	—	43
GRANT COUNTY SCHOOLS	4	1,615	$15,256↓18%	86.3%↓6%	—	39
SUMMERS COUNTY SCHOOLS	4	1,318	$14,732↓21%	—	—	38
TYLER COUNTY SCHOOLS	4	1,257	$24,467↑31%	92.0%	—	47
RITCHIE COUNTY SCHOOLS	5	1,243	$17,693↓5%	92.0%	—	43
WEBSTER COUNTY SCHOOLS	4	1,192	$13,479↓28%	92.0%	—	43
DODDRIDGE COUNTY SCHOOLS	4	1,119	$35,576↑91%	97.5%↑6%	—	43
PLEASANTS COUNTY SCHOOLS	4	1,086	$17,038↓9%	97.5%↑6%	—	48
Small Districts — Fewer than 1,000 Students
TUCKER COUNTY SCHOOLS	3	961	$15,289↓18%	92.0%	—	45

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many public schools are in West Virginia?

What is the average per-pupil spending in West Virginia?

What is the graduation rate in West Virginia?

Which school district in West Virginia has the highest graduation rate?

What standardized tests do students take in West Virginia?

Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.