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Southside K-8

Q: Is Southside K-8 a good school?

Southside K-8 ranks in the bottom 1.7% of West Virginia elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Southside K-8?

In the 2024-25 school year, 266 students attended Southside K-8.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Southside K-8?

Students at Southside K-8 are 93% White, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Southside K-8 attend?

Students who attend Southside K-8 usually go on to attend: High : River View High School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

349^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 355 West Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of West Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Southside K-8 is an elementary school located in War, West Virginia, serving grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 293 students. The school is part of the McDowell County Schools district, which is ranked 54th out of 55 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southside K-8 has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in West Virginia, with a statewide ranking between 342nd and 360th out of 355-408 schools over the past 10 years. The school has received a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for the entire period. Academically, Southside K-8 consistently underperforms the state and district averages in mathematics, English language arts, and science proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 3rd-grade mathematics proficiency rate was 9.4%, compared to 27.5% for the district and 53% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low in mathematics, with proficiency rates ranging from 4% to 29.6% across the grade levels, compared to the state's 32.8% to 53% range.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the McDowell County district, such as Kimball Elementary School, Iaeger Elementary School, Welch Elementary School, and Bradshaw Elementary School, also perform poorly compared to the state averages, but generally outperform Southside K-8 in academic metrics. Despite the higher-than-average per-student spending at Southside K-8, the school's performance has remained consistently low over the past 10 years, with no significant improvement in its statewide ranking or academic proficiency rates.

266

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,756

Per pupil spending ?

73.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13509 Rocket Boy Drive
War, WV 24892-0730

(304) 875-2283

District: McDowell County Schools

Students who attend Southside K-8 usually attend:

High:

River View High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.2%

African American:

3.4%

Two or more races:

3.0%

See top rated West Virginia elementary schools

Compare Southside K-8 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — <1st percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the West Virginia average (19% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Mathematics scores 31 pts below the West Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg26%

West Virginia avg42%

Elementary school

349^th of 355

West Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of West Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

160^th of 168

West Virginia public middle schools ?

Bottom 5%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of West Virginia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the McDowell County Schools

54^th of 55McDowell County Schools among West Virginia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	349 of 355	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	345 of 368	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	342 of 368	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	351 of 375	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	358 of 380	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.3	360 of 383	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.7	390 of 392	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.2	397 of 399	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.2	402 of 402	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.6	408 of 408	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.1	422 of 422	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.5	428 of 428	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.6	424 of 426	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.6	422 of 426	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	9.5	422 of 427	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.6	417 of 420	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	18.0	184 of 187	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	295 of 302	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	289 of 316	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	294 of 317	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.9	293 of 325	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	311 of 322	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.5	313 of 339	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	361 of 366	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.7	377 of 381	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	6.9	26 of 26	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	13.0	317 of 328	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	293 of 336	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	266 of 333	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	301 of 347	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	312 of 335	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	361 of 368	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.5	379 of 382	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	14.0	290 of 305	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	298 of 325	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	297 of 322	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	318 of 330	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	293 of 333	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.9	320 of 338	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	361 of 364	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.3	379 of 382	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	9.5	169 of 171	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	171 of 183	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	168 of 185	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	245 of 258	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	22.6	358 of 377	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	6.7	351 of 353	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	355 of 367	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	348 of 366	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.8	353 of 373	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	346 of 376	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.4	349 of 373	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	372 of 374	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.6	380 of 382	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	13.0	160 of 168	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.3	135 of 169	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	145 of 168	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	164 of 169	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	157 of 171	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.6	170 of 171	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.9	170 of 170	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.9	173 of 176	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	4.0	171 of 172	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.2	164 of 173	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	7.6	171 of 172	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.1	169 of 174	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.2	169 of 172	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.0	169 of 171	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	7.3	169 of 171	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.7	171 of 171	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	37.1	86 of 124	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	18.8	143 of 158	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	130 of 158	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	142 of 158	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	158 of 164	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.3	135 of 162	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.6	162 of 162	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.0	162 of 166	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.5	170 of 174	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	17.3	90 of 97	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	151 of 165	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	40.9	95 of 164	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.8	106 of 162	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.2	150 of 162	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.4	127 of 164	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	162 of 165	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.0	171 of 176	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	29.3	134 of 165	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.2	106 of 158	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.5	135 of 161	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	143 of 164	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.7	161 of 161	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	164 of 164	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.9	171 of 176	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2023	44.6	66 of 132	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	9.8	130 of 130	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	120 of 142	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	32.4	150 of 174	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	13.0	159 of 168	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	130 of 169	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	137 of 168	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.6	164 of 168	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.6	152 of 170	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.3	167 of 168	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.1	167 of 167	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.1	172 of 176	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Male (2025)5th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

African American (2017)2nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)1st percentile~ school

White (2025)1st percentile~ school

Homeless (2024)<1st percentile-6 vs school

Middle school

Special Education (2023)50th percentile+36 vs school

African American (2017)31st percentile+29 vs school

Male (2024)19th percentile~ school

Female (2025)9th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2017)7th percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs West Virginia (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts33%-14 vs state

Mathematics10%-31 vs state

Science7%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southside K-8

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Baileysville Elementary & Middle School	Public	PK, KG-8	11618 R. D. Bailey Highway	Brenton	24818	Wyoming County	Wyoming County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 732-6399	267	20	13.4		262 (98.1%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	31.1	269^th of 355 public elementary schools	24.2%		33.4	264^th of 368 public elementary schools	28.3%	5	37.5	47.1	24.0	3.6	17.9	14.3	45.8	52.9	36.0	39.3	39.3	42.9	32.0	23.8	$12,615	$1,681	$10,934

Frequently Asked Questions about Southside K-8

What district is Southside K-8 in?

McDowell County Schools

How many students attend Southside K-8?

In the 2024-25 school year, 266 students attended Southside K-8.

What schools do graduates of Southside K-8 attend?

Students who attend Southside K-8 usually go on to attend:

High : River View High School

Is Southside K-8 a good school?

Southside K-8 ranks in the bottom 1.7% of West Virginia elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Southside K-8?

Students at Southside K-8 are 93% White, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races.

Rate Southside K-8!

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WVWest Virginia District Rankings

Schools in War, WV

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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.