Elementary Schools in McDowell County Schools

Summary:

The McDowell County Schools district in West Virginia is home to 6 elementary schools, serving students from kindergarten through 5th grade. The data reveals significant disparities in educational outcomes across the district, with one standout school, Fall River Elementary School, consistently outperforming the others.

Fall River Elementary is the highest-ranked school in the district, placed 87th out of 355 elementary schools in the state for the 2024-2025 school year. It boasts a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and significantly higher test scores in mathematics, English language arts, and science compared to the district and state averages. In contrast, the majority of the district's elementary schools, including Southside K-8, Bradshaw Elementary, Welch Elementary, and Kimball Elementary, are ranked in the bottom 10% of West Virginia elementary schools and have 0 or 1 star ratings.

The data suggests that while the district as a whole is struggling, with all 6 schools ranked in the bottom half of the state, Fall River Elementary stands out as a bright spot, with significantly higher academic performance. The reasons behind the disparities in educational outcomes within the McDowell County Schools district are not entirely clear from the available data, but may warrant further investigation to identify and address the systemic challenges facing the majority of the district's elementary schools.

District Detail

30 Central Ave
Welch, WV 24801-2008

(304) 436-8441

SchoolDigger Rank:
54^th of 55 West Virginia districts

See the 2025 West Virginia District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 2,312

Primary Schools: 6
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 3
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WV Assessment Mathematics (2025)						WV Assessment English Language Arts (2025)						WV Assessment Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WV Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	WV Assessment Science 5th Grade	WV Assessment Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kimball Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	28631 Coal Heritage Road	Kimball	24853	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 585-7570	164	14	11.7		108 (65.9%)	32 (19.5%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (12.8%)	21.2	314^th of 355 public elementary schools	11.5%		14.3	344^th of 368 public elementary schools	6.5%	30	50.0	27.8	10.7				46.2	38.9	21.4				17.9		$16,339	$3,319	$13,020
Welch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1235 Stewart St	Welch	24801	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 436-4645	189	14	13.5		149 (78.8%)	18 (9.5%)	4 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (9.5%)	19	324^th of 355 public elementary schools	8.7%		10.4	362^nd of 368 public elementary schools	1.6%	38	8.3	7.7	30.8				16.7	11.5	50.0				34.6		$13,978	$3,277	$10,701
Iaeger Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	182 Water Street	Iaeger	24844	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 938-2227	201	15	13.4		198 (98.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	41	220^th of 355 public elementary schools	38.0%		25.3	307^th of 368 public elementary schools	16.6%	87	34.9	50.0	23.8				37.2	60.7	47.6				38.1		$14,720	$2,939	$11,781
Fall River Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	13 Falcon Drive	Big Sandy	24816	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 656-7665	112	9	12.4		92 (82.1%)	6 (5.4%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (11.6%)	68.4	87^th of 355 public elementary schools	75.5%		58.7	133^rd of 368 public elementary schools	63.9%	46	72.7	70.0	45.0				45.5	60.0	65.0				30.0		$15,353	$3,922	$11,431
Bradshaw Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	660 Mountaineer Highway	Bradshaw	24817	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 967-7700	214	19	11.2		209 (97.7%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	16.6	330^th of 355 public elementary schools	7.0%		18.3	334^th of 368 public elementary schools	9.2%	4	16.1	39.3	14.3				12.9	39.3	42.9				25.9		$13,953	$3,103	$10,850
Southside K-8	Public	PK, KG-8	13509 Rocket Boy Drive	War	24892	McDowell County	McDowell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 875-2283	266	22	12.0		248 (93.2%)	9 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	8.5	349^th of 355 public elementary schools	1.7%		14.2	345^th of 368 public elementary schools	6.3%	4	9.4	29.6	4.8	8.3	4.0	4.8	21.9	44.4	33.3	20.8	32.0	42.9	4.8	10.0	$14,756	$3,368	$11,388

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Mercer County Schools	9.81 mi	27	26^th
Wyoming County Schools	14.05 mi	15	38^th
WV Schools of Diversion & Transition	16.99 mi	26
Raleigh County Schools	27.5 mi	28	13^th
Mingo County Schools	33.65 mi	11	27^th

See the top WV West Virginia districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the West Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

Elementary Schools in McDowell County Schools

District Detail

Fall River Elementary School

Iaeger Elementary School

Kimball Elementary School

Welch Elementary School

Bradshaw Elementary School

Southside K-8

Districts nearby