Bluefield Intermediate School

Bluefield Intermediate School serves 269 students in grades 3-5 in Bluefield, West Virginia, as part of Mercer County Schools, with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.8:1.

When looking at academic performance, Bluefield Intermediate faces significant challenges compared to both district and state averages. In the most recent school year, only 28% of students were proficient in math, compared to 35.4% across the district and 39.4% statewide. Reading scores tell a similar story, with 35.8% proficiency versus 42.5% district and 47.6% state averages. Perhaps most concerning is the trend within the school itself: math proficiency drops dramatically as students advance, from 39.3% in 3rd grade to just 18.6% by 5th grade—a 20.7 percentage point decline. This pattern is unique among nearby schools. For example, Straley Elementary, which serves the same grade levels, achieves 56.8% math proficiency overall and maintains 51.7% proficiency in 5th grade. Other nearby schools like Lashmeet/Matoaka Elementary (46.5% math) and Mercer Elementary (32.3% math) also outperform Bluefield Intermediate.

There are some bright spots worth noting. The school has shown steady improvement in serving students with special needs, earning a 3-star rating and ranking in the 49th percentile statewide—up from the 29th percentile just two years ago. This demonstrates the school's capacity for effective programming when properly resourced. However, the school spends less per student ($11,206) than most comparable schools in the district, and performance for students from low-income households has declined significantly in recent years. The contrast with Straley Elementary—serving the same grades with similar demographics—suggests that improvement is achievable with the right strategies. Parents considering this school may want to ask about math intervention programs and how the school plans to address the declining performance trend across grade levels.