Summary:
Miami, West Virginia, is a small community in Kanawha County served by a single public school, Sharon Dawes Elementary School, which enrolls 148 students in grades PK through 5 within the Kanawha County Schools district.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that this school shows a striking split in academic performance. The standout strength is mathematics, where the school posts a 57.4% proficiency rate across all grades—well above the district average of 41.3% and the state average of 39.4%. This is especially true in 3rd grade, where 73.3% of students are proficient in math, outperforming both district and state by roughly 18-19 percentage points. However, this strength does not carry over to other subjects. English Language Arts proficiency is just 35.2%, significantly below the district (47.7%) and state (47.6%) averages. The most concerning figure is 5th-grade science, where only 10.5% of students are proficient, compared to 29.6% in the district and 34.6% statewide—a persistent issue that has not improved from the prior year.
There is also a clear pattern of decline as students advance. Math proficiency drops steadily from 73.3% in 3rd grade to 60% in 4th grade and 42.1% in 5th grade, suggesting early success is not being sustained. On a positive note, the school has improved dramatically in state rankings, jumping from 332nd out of 368 schools (1 star) in 2023-2024 to 230th out of 355 schools (2 stars) in 2025-2026. With a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.3:1 and per-student spending of $15,642, the school has solid resources. However, the high spending has not translated into balanced achievement, indicating that while math instruction is clearly effective, literacy and science need significant attention to ensure students are well-prepared for middle school.
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