Public education in West Virginia

K-12 education in West Virginia

Education facts

State superintendent: Michele Blatt

Number of students: 263,486

Number of teachers: 18,824

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:13.9

Number of school districts: 55

Number of schools: 683

Graduation rate: 91%

Per-pupil spending: $12,375

See also

West Virginia Department of Education • List of school districts in West Virginia • West Virginia • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in West Virginia Glossary of education terms

Note: These statistics are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of October 2022.

The West Virginia public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, West Virginia had 263,486 students enrolled in a total of 683 schools in 55 school districts. There were 283,044 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 14 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, West Virginia spent on average $12,697 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 91 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

Regional comparison

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how West Virginia compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in West Virginia
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
West Virginia	683	55	263,486	18,824	1:13.9	$12,375
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia), students in West Virginia earned the lowest scores across all categories.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
West Virginia	35%	24%	27%	25%
Kentucky	41%	30%	36%	38%
Ohio	48%	40%	37%	39%
Virginia	47%	38%	43%	36%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for West Virginia and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

West Virginia schools reported a graduation rate of 81.4 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, lowest among its neighboring states.

In West Virginia, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 20.6.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
West Virginia	81.4%	Third	20.6	63%	1513	15%
Kentucky	86.1%	Second	19.6	100%	1741	5%
Ohio	82.2%	Third	21.8	72%	1635	17%
Virginia	84.5%	Third	22.6	26%	1528	71%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for West Virginia was higher than the national average at 3.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and lower than the national average at 2.7 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in West Virginia

School choice options in West Virginia included homeschooling, online learning, private schools and two voluntary public school open enrollment policies as of June 2015.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

West Virginia is not one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: West Virginia state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

West Virginia spent approximately 10.5 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. West Virginia spent a lower percentage of its total budget on public education than any of its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
West Virginia	10.5%	$11,132	11%	58.3%	30.6%
Kentucky	19.6%	$9,316	12%	54.9%	33.1%
Ohio	17%	$11,197	7.9%	41.4%	50.7%
Virginia	15.1%	$10,960	7.4%	39.2%	53.4%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In West Virginia, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding during fiscal year 2013, at $2 billion. West Virginia's total public education revenue was the lowest among its neighboring states during fiscal year 2013.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
West Virginia	$383,169	$2,027,414	$1,064,396	$3,474,979
Kentucky	$867,735	$3,960,822	$2,386,459	$7,215,016
Ohio	$1,721,213	$8,990,516	$11,019,419	$21,731,148
Virginia	$1,108,879	$5,874,323	$8,000,628	$14,983,830
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in West Virginia totaled approximately $3.4 billion in fiscal year 2012. West Virginia's total public education expenditures was the lowest among its neighboring states during fiscal year 2012.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
West Virginia	$3,275,246	$69,610	$64,247	$3,409,105
Kentucky	$6,360,799	$770,828	$263,084	$7,394,709
Ohio	$19,701,810	$2,467,639	$1,016,716	$23,186,166
Virginia	$13,403,576	$1,078,786	$248,334	$14,730,695
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in West Virginia, the average salary decreased by three percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
West Virginia	$47,843	$49,059	$46,074	$46,405	-3.0%
Kentucky	$49,717	$52,884	$50,558	$50,326	1.2%
Ohio	$56,626	$59,732	$57,659	$58,092	2.6%
Virginia	$52,947	$53,388	$49,514	$49,869	-5.8%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: West Virginia Department of Education

The West Virginia Department of Education is led by the West Virginia Superintendent of Schools. Michael J. Martirano was appointed to the position in 2014.

The West Virginia Board of Education was established by the West Virginia Constitution. The Board of Education supervises the state's public elementary and secondary schools. It is composed of 12 members. Nine are voting members who are appointed by the governor, and three are nonvoting members, including the West Virginia Superintendent of Schools, the chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the chancellor of Community and Technical College Education Commission.

The mission statement of the West Virginia Board of Education reads:

“

The West Virginia Board of Education establishes policies and rules to assure implementation of West Virginia's Education goals and to ensure the general supervision, oversight and monitoring of a thorough and efficient educational system.

”

Unions

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. West Virginia ranked 13th overall for union power and influence, or "strong," which was in the second tier of five.

The main unions related to the West Virginia school system are the West Virginia Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, and the West Virginia Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.

List of local West Virginia school unions:

• West Virginia Education Association
• West Virginia Federation of Teachers
• West Virginia Professional Educators

Government sector lobbying

See also: West Virginia government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the West Virginia School Boards Association.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country'. highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

West Virginia received a score of 71.6, or a C- average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 96.7, or an A average. The lowest score was in "K-12 achievement" at 60.8, or a D- average. West Virginia had the third highest score for the "standards, assessments and accountability" category in the country. The chart below displays the scores of West Virginia and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
West Virginia	71.6 (C-)	60.8 (D-)	96.7 (A)	80.3 (B-)	89.0 (B+)	89.3 (B+)
Kentucky	74.4 (C)	70.3 (C-)	90.2 (A-)	82.1 (B-)	71.7 (C-)	92.9 (A)
Ohio	78.6 (C+)	71.3 (C-)	96.1 (A)	76.4 (C)	77.2 (C+)	78.6 (C+)
Virginia	84.8 (B)	74.2 (C)	93.3 (A)	81.9 (B-)	76.1 (C)	85.7 (B)
United States	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

West Virginia features 55 school districts divided by county. Each school district offers public education within the boundaries of the county.

School board composition

West Virginia school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to fill vacancies until the next election for the seat is held. West Virginia school board elections typically select board members on an at-large basis, allowing all residents living in the school district to vote for any board candidates on the ballot. State law requires that no more than two members elected from any magisterial district may serve on the board during a given term.

School boards typically consist of five members. Board members serve four-year terms, which are often staggered every two years.

Term limits

West Virginia does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.

Elections

See also: West Virginia school board elections, 2025

No West Virginia school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2025.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in West Virginia, a person must be:

• 18 years of age or older
• A high school graduate or holder of a G.E.D.
• A resident of the school district

Each candidate submits an affidavit of candidacy and a filing fee of $25 with the county elections office.

Campaign finance

State law requires candidates to file reports before and after each election if they have received or spent more than $500. A reporting waiver is available for any candidate who does not have financial activity exceeding $500 for a reporting period.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the West Virginia state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of West Virginia ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. West Virginia School Levy and Bond Amendment, Amendment 2 (1978)
2. West Virginia Fair Education Opportunity Amendment, Amendment 1 (1982)
3. West Virginia Better Schools, Road and Public Works Amendment, Amendment 4 (1984)
4. West Virginia Better School Buildings Amendment, Amendment 2 (1986)
5. West Virginia School Board Members Amendment, Amendment 6 (1986)
6. West Virginia Uniform School Funding Amendment, Amendment 1 (1988)
7. West Virginia Better Schools Amendment, Amendment 5 (1966)
8. West Virginia State Superintendent of Free Schools Amendment, Amendment 2 (1958)
9. West Virginia Better Schools Amendment, Amendment 3 (1958)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms West Virginia education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in West Virginia - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in West Virginia
• West Virginia state budget and finances
• West Virginia Department of Education
• List of school districts in West Virginia
• West Virginia
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• West Virginia Department of Education
• West Virginia State Board of Education
• West Virginia Superintendent of Schools
• West Virginia Virtual School
• West Virginia School Directory
• West Virginia School Data and Reports
• West Virginia Finance Information
• West Virginia Public School Ratings by PSK12
• West Virginia Public School Ratings by Great Schools