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Zela Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

308^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 355 West Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of West Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Zela Elementary School is a small public elementary school in Summersville, West Virginia, serving grades PK-5 with an enrollment of 80 students. The school is part of the Nicholas County Schools district, which is ranked 25 out of 55 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its small size, Zela Elementary School has consistently underperformed compared to the district and the state of West Virginia in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 33.3% of 5th-grade students at Zela were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 50.6% for the district and 42% for the state. The school has a very low statewide ranking, placing in the bottom 20% of West Virginia elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Zela's performance has declined over the years, with the school's statewide ranking dropping from the top 15% in 2014-2015 to the bottom 20% in recent years.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Nicholas County Schools district, such as Gauley River Elementary, Panther Creek Elementary, and MT Lookout Elementary, generally outperform Zela Elementary School in terms of standardized test scores and statewide rankings. This suggests that Zela may be an outlier within the district, and the school's small size of 80 students may contribute to the challenges it faces in providing a diverse range of educational opportunities and support services.

Students ?

9.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,250

Per pupil spending ?

64.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

165 Country Rd
Summersville, WV 26651-4018

(304) 872-1481

District: Nicholas County Schools

Students who attend Zela Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Summersville Middle School
High:	Nicholas County High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

100.0%

See top rated West Virginia elementary schools

Compare Zela Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the West Virginia average (31% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 73 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg47%

West Virginia avg42%

308^th of 355

West Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 73 pts since 2015

From top 14% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of West Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Nicholas County Schools

25^th of 55Nicholas 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	23.3	308 of 355	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	340 of 368	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	358 of 368	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	290 of 375	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.5	378 of 380	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	41.8	219 of 383	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	174 of 392	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.2	184 of 399	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.1	187 of 402	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.2	58 of 408	85.8%	★★★★☆
2014	59.3	133 of 422	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	47.0	223 of 428	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.7	179 of 426	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	37.4	298 of 426	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.2	238 of 427	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.4	292 of 420	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2018	45.1	214 of 366	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.4	188 of 381	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	25.5	284 of 328	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	332 of 333	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	63.4	100 of 368	72.8%	★★★★☆
2017	57.5	141 of 382	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2018	44.2	200 of 364	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.5	168 of 382	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	31.2	304 of 377	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	315 of 353	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	341 of 367	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	359 of 366	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	293 of 373	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.2	374 of 376	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	40.6	220 of 373	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.6	168 of 374	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.9	180 of 382	52.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Male (2018)45th percentile-11 vs school

Female (2018)42nd percentile-14 vs school

Special Education (2017)19th percentile-35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile~ school

White (2025)11th percentile~ school

By subject vs West Virginia (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts42%-8 vs state

Mathematics33%-9 vs state

Science17%-17 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Zela Elementary School

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 English Language Arts 3rd Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	WV Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Zela Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	165 Country Rd	Summersville	26651	Nicholas County	Nicholas County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 872-1481	67	7	9.5		67 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23.3	308^th of 355 public elementary schools	13.2%		15.8	340^th of 368 public elementary schools	7.6%	32			33.3			41.7	16.7	$15,250	$2,518	$12,732
Summersville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	108 McKees Creek Rd	Summersville	26651	Nicholas County	Nicholas County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 872-1421	331	24	13.7		314 (94.9%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.7%)	42.9	206^th of 355 public elementary schools	42.0%		42.1	224^th of 368 public elementary schools	39.1%	18	51.2	54.9	38.5	37.2	47.1	46.2	31.6	$11,966	$1,729	$10,237
Mt. Nebo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Schoolhouse Ln	Mount Nebo	26679	Nicholas County	Nicholas County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 872-2440	105	8	13.1		102 (97.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	97.9	3^rd of 355 public elementary schools	99.2%		98.6	3^rd of 368 public elementary schools	99.2%		80.0	95.0		73.3	90.0			$12,637	$1,467	$11,169
Glade Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7950 Webster Rd	Summersville	26651	Nicholas County	Nicholas County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 872-2882	124	8	15.5		119 (96.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	2 (1.6%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	67.8	91^st of 355 public elementary schools	74.4%		62.2	116^th of 368 public elementary schools	68.5%	25	65.0	47.6	85.7	45.0	28.6	85.7	64.3	$10,254	$1,081	$9,172
Mt. Lookout Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1945 E Mount Lookout Rd	Mount Lookout	26678	Nicholas County	Nicholas County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 872-2731	121	9	13.4		119 (98.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	84.7	33^rd of 355 public elementary schools	90.7%		72.9	74^th of 368 public elementary schools	79.9%	41	75.0	72.2	82.4	50.0	55.6	76.5	52.9	$11,464	$1,649	$9,814
Ansted Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	27 School St	Ansted	25812	Fayette County	Fayette County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 658-5961	178	13	13.7		173 (97.2%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	31.5	267^th of 355 public elementary schools	24.8%		43.9	213^th of 368 public elementary schools	42.1%	54	45.5	43.8	33.3	31.8	59.4	33.3	22.2	$13,490	$1,774	$11,716
Panther Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10068 Canvas Nettie Road	Nettie	26681	Nicholas County	Nicholas County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 846-6808	211	15	14.0		207 (98.1%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	77.6	55^th of 355 public elementary schools	84.5%		75.6	67^th of 368 public elementary schools	81.8%	12	57.5	57.1	81.8	42.5	71.4	77.3	50.0	$11,775	$1,072	$10,702
Clay Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	219 Church Street	Clay	25043	Clay County	Clay County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 587-4276	431	35	12.3		422 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	31.9	265^th of 355 public elementary schools	25.4%		41.5	231^st of 368 public elementary schools	37.2%	34	52.9	15.8	31.9	51.4	26.3	48.9	23.4	$13,896	$2,945	$10,951
Divide Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	334 Propps Rdg Rd	Lookout	25868	Fayette County	Fayette County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 574-1443	189	14	13.4		183 (96.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.2%)	22	313^th of 355 public elementary schools	11.8%		42.7	221^st of 368 public elementary schools	39.9%	92	48.4	37.8	21.6	35.5	43.2	35.1	13.5	$13,180	$1,540	$11,640
Gauley River Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 School St	Craigsville	26205	Nicholas County	Nicholas County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 742-5271	295	20	14.7		294 (99.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10	342^nd of 355 public elementary schools	3.7%		33.4	266^th of 368 public elementary schools	27.7%	76	31.7	28.0	18.9	26.8	32.0	29.7	16.2	$11,712	$2,045	$9,667

Frequently Asked Questions about Zela Elementary School

How many students attend Zela Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 67 students attended Zela Elementary School.

What district is Zela Elementary School in?

Nicholas County Schools

What schools do graduates of Zela Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Zela Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Summersville Middle School
High : Nicholas County High School

Is Zela Elementary School a good school?

Zela Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.2% of West Virginia elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Zela Elementary School?

Students at Zela Elementary School are 100% White.

Rate Zela Elementary School!

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Schools in Summersville, 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.