Elementary Schools in Jackson County Schools

The 8 elementary schools in Jackson County Schools, serving grades PK-5 (with two exceptions), form the backbone of West Virginia’s #1-ranked district, a rural area where small schools deliver outsized academic results.

This is a district of two clear tiers. The standout is Fairplain Elementary School, ranked #3 in the state with 86.2% math and 82.8% ELA proficiency—nearly double the state averages. Close behind are Evans Elementary School (83.1% math), Cottageville Elementary School (80% math), and Gilmore Elementary School (80% math), all ranking in the top 33 statewide. These four schools, each with fewer than 161 students, average 82.3% math proficiency. The larger schools lag significantly: Kenna Elementary School (58.2% math), Ripley Elementary School (54.8%), and Ravenswood Grade School (50.8%) form a bottom tier with a 28-point gap in math. Henry J Kaiser Elementary School (PK-2) has no test data, as assessments begin in 3rd grade.

The most striking finding is the science divide: Gilmore Elementary School posts 69.6% science proficiency—the district’s best and double the state average—while Evans Elementary School manages just 25%, despite nearly identical math scores. This suggests inconsistent science instruction across schools. Encouragingly, science scores improved district-wide by 8–15 points year-over-year. Grade-level data also reveals growth patterns: Ravenswood Grade School jumps 26 points in ELA from 3rd to 5th grade, while Kenna Elementary School shows a 3rd-grade ELA weakness (33.7%) that recovers by 4th grade. For parents, the takeaway is clear: smaller schools here outperform larger ones, and while math is a district strength, science proficiency varies widely—so school choice matters.