Wirt County Schools

Wirt County Schools is a small, rural district in West Virginia serving about 866 students across three schools: Wirt County Primary Center (PK-4), Wirt County Middle School (5-8), and Wirt County High School (9-12). The district ranks 34th out of 54 West Virginia districts with a 2-star rating, but individual school performance varies widely.

The clear standout is Wirt County Middle School, which earns a 3-star rating and ranks in the 66th percentile statewide—far ahead of its peers. It beats state averages in both math (43.5% vs. 39.4%) and science (33.3% vs. 29.3%), with 6th-grade math proficiency (53.5%) exceeding the state by 18.1 points, the largest positive gap in the district. In contrast, Wirt County High School has suffered a dramatic collapse, dropping from a 3-star to a 1-star rating as 11th-grade proficiency fell sharply in math (24.8% to 13.6%), ELA (49.5% to 42.4%), and science (27.9% to 15.3%). Wirt County Primary Center remains stable but stagnant, ranking in the 37th-40th percentile for three straight years.

Notable patterns emerge across the district. The primary center excels in math (50.5% proficiency, +11.1 over state) but lags badly in ELA (40.2%, -7.4), creating an 18.5-point subject gap. No school meets the state average for ELA, signaling a district-wide literacy challenge. The middle school shows an inverse grade-level pattern—math peaks in 6th grade then drops sharply in 7th, while ELA peaks in 7th and falls in 8th. The high school spends $2,813 more per student than the middle school yet produces far worse outcomes, raising questions about resource effectiveness. With favorable student-teacher ratios (10.5:1 to 11.5:1) and a graduation rate matching the state average (92.9%), the district has solid foundations, but parents should note the stark contrast between the high-performing middle school and the struggling high school.