Hancock County Schools

Hancock County Schools in West Virginia serves approximately 3,342 students across 7 schools—3 elementary, 2 middle, and 2 high schools—and ranks 3rd out of 54 districts in the state with a 5-star rating.

For parents, the standout school in this district is Oak Glen Middle School, ranked 11th in the state with exceptional math (60.3%), ELA (57.9%), and science (43.2%) proficiency—the latter beating the state average by nearly 14 points. At the elementary level, New Manchester Elementary School posts the district's highest math proficiency at 85.4%, while Weirton Elementary School is the highest-ranked school overall (15th in the state) despite being the largest. A. T. Allison Elementary School also performs well with 76.7% math proficiency. However, a clear divide exists between feeder patterns: the Oak Glen schools consistently outperform their Weir counterparts. Oak Glen High School beats Weir High School in math (24.7% vs. 19.1%) and science (28.9% vs. 19.9%), though Weir High has a slightly higher graduation rate (98.3% vs. 97.5%).

The most concerning trend is the achievement cliff between elementary and middle school—math proficiency drops from an average of 81.1% in elementary schools to just 50.6% in middle schools. Weir Middle School is particularly weak, with 8th-grade science proficiency at just 14.8% (less than half the state average) and math at 40.8% versus Oak Glen Middle's 60.3%. High school math is a universal challenge, with 11th-grade proficiency barely above the state average despite elementary excellence. Weir High has also declined sharply in state rankings, dropping from 24th to 48th over two years. On the positive side, the district's 3rd-grade math proficiency of 86.1% is extraordinary, and both high schools post graduation rates near 98%—well above the state's 92.8%. Per-student spending ranges from $11,561 to $13,483, with Oak Glen Middle spending the most and achieving the best results, though spending alone doesn't explain performance differences.