Best Public Schools in Dunbar, WV

Dunbar, West Virginia, is served by three public schools within the Kanawha County Schools district, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks 22nd out of 54 districts in the state, covering grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 828 students and no high school within city limits.

For parents, the most striking story is at Dunbar Intermediate Center, which has shown dramatic improvement over the past two years, jumping from the 6th percentile to the 26th percentile in state rankings. This school now exceeds both district and state averages in overall math proficiency (43.3% vs. 41.3% and 39.4%), and its 4th-grade math scores are a standout at 57.5% proficiency—well above the state average of 49.2%. However, the 5th-grade year presents a major challenge, with math proficiency plummeting to 27.4% and science at just 17.8%. In contrast, Dunbar Middle School performs more consistently but below average, with overall math at 33.7% and ELA at 41.1%, both trailing district and state figures. The one bright spot there is 7th-grade math, which at 39.4% exceeds both district and state averages.

Science is a systemic weakness across both schools, with 5th and 8th-grade proficiency rates around 18%, roughly 10-17 points below state averages and declining year-over-year. Resource allocation is equitable, with student-teacher ratios between 11.2 and 12.2 and per-student spending ranging from $12,772 to $13,373 across all three schools, including Dunbar Primary Center. The lack of a local high school means students face a transition after 8th grade, which may compound the academic challenges seen in middle school. While the 4th-grade anomaly and 7th-grade math success offer promising foundations, targeted interventions in science and the 5th-grade transition are critical to reversing the concerning downward trends.