Best Public Schools in Tad, WV

The city of Tad, West Virginia, is served by a single school, Mary Ingles Elementary School, a small rural school within the Kanawha County Schools district that enrolls 143 students in grades PK through 5.

For parents, the most important takeaway is that this school shows a mixed academic profile with one clear standout area. In math, the school outperforms both its district and the state, with 46% of students proficient compared to 41.3% in the district and 39.4% statewide. However, this strength is not consistent across grade levels—4th grade math proficiency soars to 64.7%, while 3rd and 5th grades sit at just 35.1% and 36.8%, respectively. This dramatic spike suggests an exceptionally strong 4th-grade teacher or cohort, but it also means the school is vulnerable to year-to-year swings. In English Language Arts, the school lags behind, with 43.1% proficiency versus 47.7% in the district and 47.6% statewide. The most concerning figure is 5th-grade science, where only 5.3% of students are proficient—a staggering 29.3 percentage points below the state average. This severe deficiency likely reflects inadequate science curriculum or resources and should be a priority for any parent concerned about STEM preparation.

Despite the math success, the school's state ranking has declined sharply over three years, dropping from the 53rd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 26th percentile in 2025-2026. This paradox suggests other West Virginia schools are improving faster, or that the ranking methodology weighs ELA and science more heavily. On a positive note, ELA scores show a clear upward trajectory within grade levels, rising from 26.7% in 3rd grade to 52.6% in 5th grade, indicating students make significant reading progress as they advance. With a 15:1 student-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $14,730, the school offers relatively small class sizes, though fixed costs are spread across few students. The bottom line: this is a school with pockets of excellence, particularly in 4th-grade math, but significant challenges in science and early literacy that parents should monitor closely.