Summary:
Lindside, West Virginia, is served by a single public high school, James Monroe High School, which enrolls 460 students in grades 9 through 12 as part of the Monroe County Schools district.
For parents, the most important story here is a dramatic and recent academic decline. In the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, James Monroe ranked in the 71st percentile statewide (4 stars), but in the most recent 2025-2026 data, it fell to the 16th percentile (1 star), ranking 88th out of 105 schools. This drop is reflected in test scores: 11th-grade math proficiency collapsed from 18.4% to just 7.4% (state average: 20.6%), English Language Arts fell from 58.6% to 40.0% (state average: 51.2%), and science dropped from 29.9% to 19.0% (state average: 23.6%). While ELA remains the school's relative strength, it is now below the state average in every subject. The school also has a high student-teacher ratio of 23:1, which may limit individualized attention.
Despite these academic struggles, the school maintains a very high graduation rate of 96.0%, well above the state's 92.8%. This creates a paradox: students are graduating at high rates, yet very few are proficient in core subjects like math. The most recent spending data (from 2018-2019) shows $10,938 per student, but without current figures or a state comparison, it's hard to judge funding adequacy. In short, parents should be aware that while James Monroe High School excels at getting students to graduation, the sharp decline in test scores and state ranking over the past year raises serious questions about academic preparedness for college or careers. The school's performance is identical to the district's, as it is the only high school in Monroe County.
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